Western countries are trying to preserve the old world order despite irreversible transformations happening in the system of international relations, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday during the plenary session of the 7th Eastern Economic Forum (EEF).

 

"Western countries are trying to maintain yesterday's world order, which is only beneficial to them, to force everyone to live according to the notorious rules which they have invented," Putin said.

 

The president said that these Western countries also regularly violate or change those rules, at their own convenience, and are currently making short-sighted political and economic decisions.

 

"All these decisions run counter to the interests of countries and their people, including, by the way, the people in those Western countries. The gap separating the Western elites from their own citizens is widening," Putin said, pointing out that many states are unwilling to succumb to Western diktat.

 

At the same time, the president noted that the current system of international relations has been going through fundamental and inevitable changes, where the role of promising countries, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region, has significantly grown.

 

The Russian president said these countries have become centers for "economic and technological growth."

 

The 7th EEF kicked off on Monday and will end on Thursday in Russia's far eastern city of Vladivostok. The main theme of this year's event is "On the Path to a Multipolar World."

 

Launched in 2015, the EEF has served as an important venue for dialogue among politicians, business executives and experts for Far East development and regional cooperation.