BRICS Is Gaining Strength

The current meeting of the informal association of ten countries has become a breakthrough in many ways. The year of Russia’s presidency in this club, despite the attempts of the collective West to win over the countries of the Global South and the massive information war, has shown significant interest in full-fledged participation in this structure. 35 countries have already asked to be admitted to BRICS as full participants. In total, representatives of 36 states arrived at BRICS Summit in Kazan, of which 22 countries were represented directly by their leaders, as well as representatives of six international organizations, where special attention was paid by the world media to the appearance of the UN Secretary General. The reports of the chairmen of the New Development Bank, the Business Council, the Interbank Cooperation Mechanism, the Women’s Business Alliance were heard, bilateral meetings of the leaders of the countries were held, as well as BRICS Plus/Outreach plenary session with the participation of the leaders of the CIS countries, delegations from many countries of Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America, heads of executive bodies of a number of international organizations.

13 countries at the summit have already received the status of a BRICS partner country. These are Turkey, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Algeria, Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda and Vietnam. As you can see, the size of the country and the state of their economies do not depend on the decision on such a status.

After the meeting between Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping (it is necessary to single out Russia and China as close partners within BRICS, who also actively oppose the hegemony of the United States), the Russian President noted that Russian–Chinese relations have become a model of how relations between states should be built in the modern world; cooperation between the two countries is one of the main stabilizing factors on the world stage. “We intend to further enhance coordination on all multilateral platforms in order to ensure global security and a just world order,“ and that “over the years of our joint work, the authority and influence of BRICS has increased.“

In turn, Xi Jinping noted that “over the decades, Sino–Russian relations, having withstood the tests of the volatile international situation, have come a long way and acquired an unprecedented character“ and “in the conditions of unprecedented tectonic transformation in centuries, the international situation is undergoing serious changes and upheavals. But this cannot shake the conviction of the inviolability of the strategic choice of the two countries in favor of firm mutual support.“

UN Secretary–General Antonio Guterres called for a peaceful settlement of the conflict in Ukraine on the basis of the charter of the UN organization and international law. “We need peace in Ukraine. A just peace in accordance with the UN Charter, international law and General Assembly resolutions,“ he said at the meeting on October 24. He added that all current conflicts in the world must be resolved “while maintaining commitment to the values of the UN Charter, the principles of the rule of law, territorial integrity and political independence of all states.“

Vladimir Putin replied that “that we should all live as one big family. That’s how we live. Unfortunately, quarrels, scandals, and division of property often occur in families. Sometimes it comes to fighting.“ At the same time, he stressed that BRICS considers the creation of a “favorable atmosphere in a common home“ one of its goals. “We are doing this and we will do it. Including in close coordination with the United Nations,“ Putin concluded.

It is important to note here that BRICS was presented as an independent organization, which, in fact, is positioned as an equal to the UN. Secondly, if we talk about the words of the UN Secretary General, it is necessary to recall that the UN Charter stipulates the right of self-determination of peoples. And in relation to Ukraine, in accordance with the UN Charter, the Russians had every right to separate from the neo-Nazi regime, which some of the territories did in 2014, and the rest of the Russian army is now helping to liberate.

An important statement was the one about the need for reform of the UN itself. It was noted that the UN structure should be adapted to modern realities, and the countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America should be more represented in the UN Security Council. Behind the screen of the order imposed by the West are attempts to restrain the independent development of the countries of these regions. The transition to a more just world order is not easy, illegal unilateral sanctions, manipulation of stock and foreign exchange markets, as well as interference in the affairs of countries under the slogan of “caring for democracy“ are being used.

In his speech, Russian President Vladimir Putin also touched upon the Special Military Operation in Ukraine,  recalling that “Ukraine is being used to create critical threats to Russia‘s security,“ and “those who want to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia do not know the history of the country, their calculations are illusory.“ Once again, it was said about the commitment to the creation of a sovereign Palestine: “a settlement in the Middle East is possible only with the correction of historical injustice and the creation of an independent Palestine.“

As for the participation of the BRICS countries in the global economy, even according to Western analysts, in the next five years the world economy will rely on the BRICS countries more than on the G7 states. Forecasts from the International Monetary Fund indicate that Russia, China, India and Brazil will account for the bulk of growth in the coming period. At the same time, the expected contribution to the global economy of G7 members such as the United States, Germany and Japan has been revised downward. And countries such as Egypt and Vietnam, thanks to the greater weight of developing economies when assessed in terms of purchasing power parity, will reach the level of countries such as Germany and Japan in terms of economic growth. According to the IMF forecast, China will remain the largest contributor to the global economy. India, which is also significantly increasing its influence on global growth, will be in second place.

It is significant that during the BRICS Summit, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said that Russia would symmetrically respond to the West‘s use of income from frozen assets of the Russian Federation and begin using income from Western assets in the country. New tools will also be purposefully introduced, such as the BRICS Grain Exchange, which, according to Putin, will also help protect national markets from external interference and speculation.

From the assessments of foreign guests of the expanding format and capabilities of BRICS, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that “Turkey believes in the goals of BRICS to create a just world order and trade relations.“ And Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Vulin noted its constructive role. He said that “No one from BRICS demands that we recognize Kosovo, renounce Republika Srpska or impose sanctions on the EU or anyone else. In BRICS, you are not being asked for anything, but are being offered a completely new world.“

The BRICS Declaration, which was published on October 23, has more than 40 pages and somewhat repeats the theses of the recent SCO and CIS summits. There are quite a few items devoted to a wide range of issues.

Click to access MUCfWDg0QRs3xfMUiCAmF3LEh02OL3Hk.pdf

But all of them are related to the change in the global political and economic architecture and the desire for multipolarity and a more just world order, instead of the “rules–based order“ of the West. At the same time, the EU hastened to disown its involvement in the paragraph on the inadmissibility of unilateral sanctions.

Following the Summit, the Russian President also held a press conference, where he noted that “without exception, all the meetings and events that I just mentioned were held in the traditional BRICS business and open manner, in an atmosphere of mutual understanding. This constructive approach to working together allowed us to discuss a wide range of issues in detail over three days.“

He also said that “we have confirmed that BRICS is not a closed format, it is open to all who share the values of BRICS, and its members are ready to work on finding joint solutions without outside dictates or attempts to impose only some narrow approaches on anyone. BRICS cannot but respond to the growing demand in the world for such cooperation. Accordingly, we paid special attention to the problems of possible expansion of the BRICS through the establishment of a new category – partner states.“

In confirmation of the President‘s words, it can be added that the leaders of China and India, who are antagonists on a number of issues, talked at the summit, and the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan were also able to hold talks. This once again confirms the importance of this platform and the constructive role of Russia, which helps to smooth out contradictions and misunderstandings. But in such matters, the participation and influence of the West remains an important factor. The example of Ukraine shows that where the West imposes its political will, discord and conflict always arise.

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