Vladimir Putin: dictatorship on the international scene can destroy global stability

On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with veterans of the Great Patriotic and Second World wars. After so many years, the world still remembers that the victory over fascist Germany "was a common victory achieved by people living in different countries, by people of different nationalities, religions and convictions," the president told the veterans. "In the post-war period, your combat fraternity remained above all political and ideological differences. Veterans have retained the team spirit they forged while combating their common enemy," remarked Putin. "Nowadays, just like in the days of the anti-Hitler coalition, we are trying to overcome the differences and reject stereotypes by uniting around a common goal. Indeed, the united front of countries fighting against international terrorism has become a real factor in world politics, a factor that radically changes the whole system of international relations." Any aggression, including terrorist aggression, is based on extremist ideology and hatred towards so-called "infidels," said the president. He stressed that even the most advanced countries with strong democratic traditions were facing the challenge of extremism. "The point at issue is that we all came to understand that an evil like terrorism cannot be handled alone. Our common struggle against it must be just as uncompromising as was our struggle against fascism," the president emphasized. He added that it was extremely important "not to make the same mistakes" while building a new system of international security. "Any attempts at establishing dictatorship or gaining distinct advantages over the rest are just as destructive from the point of view of global stability as they were six decades ago," he concluded.