DAMASCUS, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- The so-called "Summit for Democracy," a virtual conference hosted by the United States in December 2021, is not based on the rules of international legitimacy, Syria's Deputy Foreign Minister Bashar al-Jaafari told Xinhua in a recent interview.
The Syrian official criticized the way Washington dictates its own version of democracy to other countries, particularly the most recent attempt through the "summit" with an ostensible goal of renewing "democracy" at home and confronting "autocracies" abroad.
Such "conferences do not achieve the purpose for which they were held because they are unable to gather the international community," he said.
Such an attempt by the United States does not constitute an international consensus on Washington's version of democracy, he said, noting that each country has its distinct characteristics and thus its own understanding and vision of democracy.
The Syrian official also criticized Washington for imposing its own visions on other countries and turns hostile to those refused to abide by.
"Just saying no to the United States means that you are going to war with it," he said. "The United States does not have intellectual flexibility and is not willing to recognize the characteristics of others, and that is why disagreement with the Americans means, for them, a big problem."
"They should not come to other people and tell them 'your democracy model is bad and we will export the American model to you,'" he added.
Al-Jaafari further slammed the United States for lacking a true understanding of democracy, saying that they understand it to mean using power to eradicate the cultures of other nations.
"There is a fundamental and structural defect and failure in the U.S. understanding of democracy ... because the American political school of thought is based on investing surplus power in eradicating the culture of others," he noted. ■