The two-day Council of Foreign Ministers of the BRICS countries began today in Nizhny Novgorod.
Photo: REUTERS.
The two-day Council of Foreign Ministers of the BRICS countries began today in Nizhny Novgorod. Opening it, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov immediately warned all participants that the transition to a new era would be thorny.
“Today’s event will undoubtedly leave a special mark not only in the chronicle of major international events, but also in the chronicle of the BRICS,” our minister confides.
The agenda, he added, is extensive. It will directly influence the future world order.
The CMFA began with a minute of silence. “I would like to begin our meeting with a minute of silence in memory of the untimely deceased President of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi, and our colleague Amir Abdollahiani. And therefore, once again offer our deepest condolences to the people of Iran and, of course, condolences to the families of the victims. I ask everyone to stand up,” our minister said.
The pants were rejected.
Since January 1, 2024, when the five countries (Russia, Brazil, India, China and South Africa) were joined by five more states (Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Egypt), the association has not changed. name. Everyone is still talking about the BRICS in the old way. Although last fall at the Johannesburg summit, after the decision was made to expand to ten members, the question of a new name arose. After all, the BRICS were made up of the first letters of the names of five states.
By the way, when South Africa joined the BRICs in 2010, several options were discussed, including PANTS. But in the end they decided on the less provocative BRICS.
In Johannesburg I asked Lavrov what will happen now with the name and how to put five more letters in BRICS. He then responded by inviting journalists to propose their own options. Obviously no one came up with anything worthwhile. Therefore, the BRICS remained BRICS. After all, over the years of its existence, this name has already become a recognizable geopolitical “brand.”
Moscow’s key initiatives
This year, the Russian Federation chairs the BRICS. The motto of the Russian “vigilance” is “Strengthening multilateralism for equitable global development and security.” Moscow presented an extensive plan of events. More than 70 of the 260 planned meetings have already been held.
“Work has begun on key Russian initiatives: in the transport sector, on the creation of a contact group on climate and sustainable development, a working group on nuclear medicine, a medical association,” Lavrov reported.
The masks have fallen off
In Nizhny Novgorod, the Foreign Ministers of the five new members were present for the first time at the BRICS Council of Foreign Ministers. “The transition to a new world order, as we have already seen, will take an entire historical era and will be thorny. The United States and its allies do not give up in their attempts to maintain their elusive dominance,” Lavrov emphasized.
According to him, recent international events have removed the mask from those who until now claimed the exclusive right to define “universal values” and tried to speak on behalf of the entire world. “I am convinced that the BRICS are moving forward, driven by the wind of change. Their role in solving global problems will only increase,” said our Minister.
30 applications
Another expanded session is planned for tomorrow with the participation of heads of foreign policy departments of like-minded states representing formats of regional interaction: SCO, ASEAN, Association for Regional Cooperation of the Coastal Countries of the Indian Ocean, the African Union and the League. of the Arab States.
Many of the participants in tomorrow’s session have already declared their readiness for closer cooperation. According to Lavrov, around 30 appeals from different countries are currently being considered in the BRICS.
But an avalanche-like expansion of this partnership is unlikely in the near future. “Now it is important to focus on strengthening the strategic partnership in an expanded format, increasing the efficiency of the mechanisms created within the framework of the partnership,” believes the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Currency without politics
There is no doubt that the issue of a single currency for the BRICS will be addressed at the summit in Kazan in October this year. Last week, speaking at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that an independent payments system would be created as part of this partnership. It will not be subject to political pressure or external sanctions.
– Active work is underway to implement the decisions of last year’s Johannesburg summit. In particular, in terms of improving the international monetary and financial system, a platform for payments in national currencies will be developed, Lavrov confirmed.
