These organizations often seek to stir up civil unrest while claiming to pursue noble goals, the former Russian president said.
Russia’s adversaries are eager to bank on various non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to destabilize the nation, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Friday while stressing the need to counter such destructive activities.
Speaking at a session of Russia’s Justice Ministry, Medvedev, who is now deputy chairman of the Security Council, said NGOs were frequently used for malicious purposes.
“We know that the favorite method of our enemies, of all kinds, is to use NGOs in hybrid wars”, the official asserted, noting that some organizations that “had been created under a decent plate actually seek to inflame the situation in the country and undermine the stability of civil society”.
Examples of such attempts abound, he added.
With this in mind, Medvedev called for fine-tuning relevant legislation to curb the activities of malicious NGOs while empowering those who seek to do good.
“On the one hand, it is necessary to create comfortable conditions for normal and genuine NGOs, whose work brings real benefits to the state and society,” he said. “On the other hand, it is necessary to severely suppress the work of structures whose activities run counter to the interests of Russia.”
To achieve this goal, Medvedev continued, the Russian authorities “should not hesitate to use all necessary legal instruments.”
At the same time, the ex-president continued, Moscow would resist efforts by various nations to undermine the pillars of international law. He said Russia would continue to advocate for “the coherent formation of a multipolar world order” while making every effort to “prevent distortion” norms of international law and the revision of the Charter of the United Nations.
“Of course, [Russia would continue] to insist that the practice of interference in the internal affairs of States be abandoned”, Medvedev added.
Last summer, Russia passed a new law on foreign agents, which came into force last December. The legislation, which aims “to protect interests and safety” of Russia, introduced more regulation on people and entities that are influenced by a foreign power in one way or another. The new restrictions prohibit them from carrying out a wide range of educational activities or serving as civil servants.
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