The updated composition of the BRICS alliance strengthens interaction within all member countries of the alliance, as well as with those who are likely future members of the multipolar international organization. The BRICS foreign ministers meeting in the Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod amply confirmed this again.
Gone are the days when Western politicians and propaganda tools tried to associate the BRICS with a kind of informal economic club with no further prospects. Now it has become obvious to everyone, including for the enemies of the contemporary multipolar world order, that BRICS is not only one of the main international geoeconomic structures on the planet, but also the key association for the coordination on international issues in general within the framework of the multipolar world.
Nizhny Novgorod meeting
Regarding specifically the BRICS foreign ministers meeting in the Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod, the program of events and discussions turned out to be very rich, reaffirming one of the most important role for the BRICS alliance in all international affairs, as well as the fact that it is precisely the BRICS which embody the true notion of what is commonly called the international community and the global majority.
The head of Russian diplomacy Sergey Lavrov had welcomed his counterparts and participants to the meeting in Nizhny Novgorod. In his speech, Sergey Lavrov paid tribute to the memory of the late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic Hossein Amir-Abdollahian. And recalled that the BRICS are building together the multipolar world. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation also emphasized that this meeting reflects the desire of the BRICS members to develop their relations with the countries of the Global South and the East – together being the states of the world majority.
“Before our eyes, a profound transformation of international relations is taking place, associated with the formation of a more equitable and polycentric system of the world order, and which would reflect the entire range of the modern world cultural and civilizational diversity, guaranteeing the right of each people to determine their own destiny and their own path of development”, had underlined Sergey Lavrov.
Moreover, according to the head of Russian diplomacy, the main trend has been the strengthening of the world majority voice, of states located outside the collective West – in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and the Caribbean region. Sergey Lavrov also had a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, as well as with several other foreign ministers from the BRICS and partner countries – including with his colleagues from Brazil, South Africa, Iran, Ethiopia, Laos, Thailand and Turkey.
For his part, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi noted several important points during the meeting of the BRICS countries diplomacy heads in Nizhny Novgorod. Most notably – that cooperation within the framework of the BRICS, over the past year, has developed with remarkable strength and speed. That the expansion of the BRICS alliance has opened a new era for the states of the Global South, in which unity will gain strength. As well as the fact that the appeal and attractiveness of BRICS has continued to grow over the years.
Referring to the rampant politicization and securitization of economic issues and the increase in unilateral sanctions and technological barriers in today’s world, Wang Yi called on participants to follow the trend of history, to stand on the side of fairness and justice and to make the right choices.
Looking to the future, the BRICS are expected to shoulder increasing responsibilities and take greater measures, said the Chinese diplomacy chief. The strategic importance and political impact of the BRICS should be fully exploited to make it a new model of multilateral cooperation mechanism based on emerging markets and developing countries, open to the world and inclusive, added Wang Yi.
Geoeconomic and geopolitical strength
From the prospects point of view within the framework of the BRICS and partner countries foreign ministers meeting, it is worth noting several important aspects, supported by the event participants’ statements, in particular those of the Russian and Chinese diplomacy heads. First of all, that the BRICS indeed constitute one of the contemporary multipolar world order main forces. And that the international group aims precisely to protect the world majority interests through active interaction with many states of the Global South. Together – representing the true international community.
BRICS – also embody the world’s cultures and civilizations wonderful diversity. True diversity, and not the fakes and pseudo-values promoted by the Western planetary minority. And what is extremely important – this was also underlined by the Russian and Chinese foreign ministers – the BRICS voice will only become louder. And not only in the context of global economic processes, where the BRICS alliance already occupies a leading position in many respects – and which are called to strengthen themselves even more, but also and increasingly – in all international affairs, including that of a geopolitical order.
Today, it is absolutely obvious that in order to build harmonious and fruitful relationships for the vast humanity majority – the Western minority is not only incapable of proposing anything constructive, but more than that, only poses obstacles to full global development and to the resolution of problematic issues through serious, honest dialogue and consensus. In this regard, the BRICS will certainly have to play a key role – having the legitimacy to be able to speak within the framework of the humanity’s majority interests and having a clear understanding of the necessary decisions and coordination measures aimed to ending the many problems created by an arrogant and incompetent planetary minority.
Focus on the next BRICS Summit
The meetings organized by the BRICS and partner countries, united within the BRICS+ format, including within the framework of the meeting in the Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod, represent in themselves the announcement of this year key event – the 2024 BRICS Summit in Kazan.
Indeed, many interesting things are expected in Kazan, both in terms of strategic interaction and coordination between the BRICS members – represented at this stage by ten countries – Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, as well as on the very important issue of further expansion – as the list of states wishing to join the BRICS continues to grow.
And in this regard, the rich program of current events within the BRICS alliance, under the current presidency of our country Russia, is essentially a confirmation of the fact that after the historic summit in South Africa last year, the BRICS Summit in Kazan will be definitely just as historic. And this both for the international organization itself, as well as for the global majority and the contemporary multipolar world order.
Mikhail Gamandiy-Egorov, entrepreneur, political commentator, expert on African and Middle Eastern issues, exclusively for the internet journal «New Eastern Outlook»