Welcoming remarks by Russian Ambassador Denis Alipov at the lecture by Prof. Alexander Dugin: “Bharat as the State-Civilization: Geopolitics and Ideology”

(Russian House, November 19, 2024)

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It’s my utmost pleasure to welcome here a person who doesn’t need introduction in Russia and is well known in India and around the globe.

Prof. Alexander Dugin is one if not the most prominent visionary in the contemporary Russian geopolitical science. His forward-looking ideas based on deep historical and philosophical background, as explained in monumental works “Foundations of Geopolitics” of 1997 and “The Fourth Political Theory” of 2012 and his other works, find vivid reflection in the current developments. Prof. Dugin has become a symbol of a strong and confident Russia. 

The concept of the strategic importance of Eurasia, which was formulated by Alexander Dugin, lies at the centre of the Russian foreign policy doctrine. It’s more than logical as Russia straddles the Eurasian “Heartland” – the vast and turbulent geopolitical area, connecting both Europe and Asia. Russia demonstrates its unequivocal ability to maintain multinational and multi-religious balance on this landmass with a great sense of responsibility for its future.

The US on its part keeps pursuing the policy which was once very candidly put by NATO’s first Secretary General: keep the Russians out of Europe, the Americans in and the Germans down. It continues to destabilize the region through interference in local affairs, color revolutions and divide and rule tactics. The culmination was the orchestrated Ukrainian crisis aimed to diminish the Russian geopolitical positions and separate Russia and Europe.

In the late 1990s, Prof. Dugin along with iconic late Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Evgeny Primakov developed the Eurasian common space concept. Russia through President Putin’s Greater Eurasian Partnership Initiative advocates unified efforts that don’t target anyone but prioritize an inclusive and combined potential to push sustainable development goals and tackle common challenges. It correlates very well with the basic ideas behind the SCO, BRICS, RIC and other platforms. As opposed to this, the Western construct of a common security space for Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific as a pretext to expand the NATO’s presence misleads into creating alienation lines, shaping exclusive blocs and bringing NATO to Asia as if the damage done by its expansion in Europe was not enough.

Naturally, there’s a solid degree of commonality between Russia and India, both being civilizational states. Amid the crisis of the contemporary globalization followed by the aggressive imposition of alien neoliberal designs, we stand strong for our traditional values and share the respect for diversity. In this context, we along with other emerging independent sovereign powers aspire to just and equal multipolarity and a democratized global governance based on universally recognized international law with no space for double standards. That was one of the core messages from the recent BRICS Summit in Kazan, which became a symbol of the accelerated establishment of a new world order. 

The current developments are extremely complicated. It’s critically important to have a profound understanding of what is happening around and where we are heading. Undeniably, Prof. Dugin being one of the few world thinkers who is able to offer a lean concept.

That’s an opportunity for us to listen to him and benefit from his assessments. Sir, much appreciated is your visit here, which will grant us an unforgettable experience.

Thank you!