The BRICS summit in Kazan is only a few weeks away. Should we expect the expansion of the alliance? What criteria should partner countries meet? How is the ‘Collective West’ reacting to BRICS strengthening of its position on the world stage? This was covered in an exclusive interview by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Russian Sherpa for BRICS Sergey Alekseevich RYABKOV to New Eastern Outlook.
– Sergey Alexeyevich, last year in August BRICS doubled in size, an unprecedented case internationally. How is the process of integrating new members going?
– The decision taken at the summit in Johannesburg in 2023 on the expansion of BRICS can be called historical without exaggeration. Since the 1st of January 2024, Egypt, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Ethiopia have joined BRICS.
Each of the new participants has a rich history and culture, vast economic potential and plays a significant role not only in their region, but also in the international arena. They all share the fundamental values of BRICS, including the spirit of solidarity, equality, mutual respect, openness, inclusivity and consensus. In this sense, their involvement in the association certainly increases the profile of BRICS in world affairs and its ability to make a decisive contribution to building a more democratic, fair system of international relations that meets the interests of the World Majority.
Ensuring the consolidation of partnership in the expanded association and the organic integration of new members into the entire architecture of the BRICS strategic partnership is one of the priorities of our BRICS presidency this year, and we have made significant progress on this path. From the first months of their membership, the ‘recruits’ have been actively involved in the work, demonstrate a constructive focus on deepening practical cooperation and offer their own very interesting initiatives.
– During the first meeting of BRICS Sherpas and Sous-Sherpas during the Russian presidency, you stated that “the expansion of BRICS will aid in building a new, fair world order”. How would you describe the reaction of the ‘Collective West’ to this process?
– The world is consistently and irreversibly moving towards multipolarity. The world order built on the hegemony of the Western minority is gradually being replaced by a system with multiple poles and civilizational platforms. Multilateral structures are coming to the fore, interaction within which is based on the principles of equality, openness and mutual respect, and decisions are made following the results of comprehensive discussions on the basis of consensus.
And BRICS is one of them. The association plays the role of an important institution of multilateral cooperation, which does not seek to weaken anyone or take anyone’s place, but is aimed at creating, forming and maintaining favourable conditions for sustained growth, building up the socio-economic, innovative and human potential of its participants, and aiding in solving the pressing problems of developing countries and emerging markets, as well as increasing their representation in the system of global governance.
Naturally, the activities of the BRICS, which embodies a more equitable approach to the decision-making process on the global agenda, are equated with a new polycentric world order among the countries of the ‘Collective West’. It evokes distaste and rejection in them. But our absolute priority is to develop stable ties with the states of the World Majority, which are showing growing interest in deepening cooperation with BRICS.
– Currently, more than 30 countries have expressed their desire to join the association. The Johannesburg summit aimed to work out the categories of members states and to create an approximate list. Have the main criteria, which partner states must meet, been chosen yet?
– Following last year’s meeting of BRICS leaders in South Africa, the foreign ministers were tasked with formulating the modality of a new category of ‘partner states’ and making a list of potential candidates. This task is in its final stage. We expect to present its results this October at the BRICS summit in Kazan.
Of course, in terms of candidates to receive this status we are considering like-minded states committed to the BRICS values, including promoting the formation of a democratic multipolar world, strengthening global security and stability, respecting the principles of the UN Charter and international law, rejecting unilateral coercive measures, reforming the multilateral architecture of global governance so that the voice of the Global South and East will be louder and will be heard.
– Today, the focus is on the category of partner states; does this mean that further BRICS expansion is not planned in the near future? What are the boundaries of the association’s expansion?
– Considering the twofold expansion of the BRICS this year, it is probably premature to talk about a new wave. We cannot forget about the need to maintain the achieved level of practical cooperation in the BRICS format, to ensure high-quality practical benefits from the already established mechanisms. However, we cannot ignore the growing interest of the states of the Global South and East in strengthening contacts with BRICS. At the moment, more than thirty states have expressed such a desire in one form or another. The doors of the association remain open to all those who are interested in a trusting and equal dialogue and share the values of BRICS.
As the chairman-state of the association this year, we are trying to build a balance between expansion and efficiency. In addition to working on the category of partner countries, we involve like-minded people in cooperation in various BRICS formats – wherever it is possible and there is demand. Of course, we work in close contact and consultation with our partners in the association.
Since the beginning of the year, we have already held a number of meetings with the invitation of like-minded countries. In this context, I would like to note the meeting of foreign ministers (Nizhny Novgorod,10th-11th of June), the BRICS Interparty Forum (Vladivostok, 18th-19th of June), the Parliamentary Forum (St. Petersburg, July 11-12), the International Municipal Forum (Moscow, 27th-28th of August). Athletes from 82 countries took part in the BRICS Games held in Kazan on 12th-13th of June.
An expanded session with the participation of partners from Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and the Eurasian space is scheduled for the XVI BRICS Summit in Kazan on the 22nd-24th of October.
– The share of BRICS countries in global GDP (by purchasing power parity, PPP) increased by 0.6% in 2023. Numbers showed a record 35.7%. At the same time, the economies of the G7 countries decreased by 0.4%, reaching 29%. In your opinion, how will these figures change this year?
– As you have noted, the contribution of BRICS to the global economy is substantial. With the expansion of the association this year, its share in global GDP has, naturally, become even more significant.
In its new, expanded configuration, BRICS covers over 30% of the world’s landmass, encompasses 45% of the global population (3.6 billion people). If one considers IMF statistics, then by the end of 2024, the share of BRICS countries in global GDP (by PPP) will exceed 36% and growth rates will be 4.6%, which is almost 1.4% than the global average (3.2%), not to mention that of the G7 (1.7%). States of the BRICS account for over 40% of the total volume of oil production and around a quarter of global exports of goods.
The resource, innovative-technological and human potential of BRICS states is a good foundation for strengthening the positions of the association’s members in the global economy and the basis for increasing their role in the system of global governance. This reflects the general tendency of business activity shifting towards new centres of economic influence emerging in Asia, Africa, Latin America and other regionals in the world.
– Talking about a single BRICS currency today is premature. The main focus of member states should be on forming the conditions for the widespread use of national currencies in mutual payments. Also, BRICS countries are working on the creation of alternative mechanisms for the transfer of financial information. Which steps are being taken in this regard?
– De-dollarisation is becoming a global tendency. BRICS countries, as well as a number of others, are aiming to decrease their dependence on the US dollar, which is caused by growing distrust of the reliability of the Western financial system, which is being used by Washington and its European satellites more and more as an instrument of blackmail and imposing its political will.
The creation of an independent payment and settlement infrastructure resistant to the pressure of sanctions is a key element in strengthening the autonomy and financial sovereignty of BRICS countries. In this regard, at the BRICS summit in Johannesburg, finance ministers and central bank heads of BRICS states were instructed to work out issues pertaining to the use of national currencies, payment instruments and platforms in mutual trade transactions. Relevant departments are actively engaged in the issue of linking the financial markets of BRICS countries and the introduction of new mutual settlement mechanisms.
For example, a draft multilateral platform for cross-border payments for equal access of all BRICS countries to available financial instruments with a high level of protection of transmitted financial messages and minimal costs, including using innovative tools, has been submitted to partners for consideration.
– The BRICS summit in October will have the whole world’s eyes on it. Which countries have been invited to the summit? Should one expect any critical decisions to be made?
– We have invited the leaders of more than 30 countries to participate: BRICS state leaders, partners in CIS, Africa, Asia and Latin America, as well as heads of the secretariats of regional and international integrations (including, of course, the Eurasian Economic Union, the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation). I will not mention individual states. Speaking about specifics of events at the summit level is, in our practice, for obvious reasons, the prerogative of the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation.
Any BRICS summit is a certain milestone in the development of the association and the interaction of the entire Global South and East, increasing its voice in the global governance system, which in itself is an important contribution to the formation of a multipolar world order. We are not chasing sensations; we are oriented toward practical results. We are thoroughly working to strengthen and deepen our strategic partnership in all areas, including in the fields of politics and security, economics and finance and the humanitarian dimension, as well as to find solutions to relevant issues on the international agenda.
– Sergey Alexeyevich, we thank you for your honest and sincere dialogue and wish you fruitful work for the good of our country. We await the results of the BRICS summit in Kazan.
Interview conducted by Yulia NOVITSKAYA, writer, correspondent of “New Eastern Outlook”
