The year 2024 is a landmark year for the foreign policy of the Russian Federation. Despite persistent attempts by a number of states to isolate our country or, at least, present such a picture that key foreign nations are fencing off from Moscow, de facto the situation is completely different. Advancement of the international community towards genuine multipolarity is gaining momentum. And Russia is not a mere witness to these trends, but an active participant in this much-needed process.
The enhancement of truly mutually beneficial and constructive cooperation is exactly at the heart of Russian Chairmanship in BRICS - a unique group of countries in terms of membership and potential. Under the overarching theme “Strengthening Multilateralism for Equitable Global Development and Security” we will do everything possible to further smooth out all the parts of this mechanism.
And it's not just about the five states which have completely and irrevocably proven the relevance of the format over the 15 years of its existence, but also about the new full-fledged members - Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Moreover, as a follow-up to the decisions taken at the historic 15th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, modalities of engagement with a new category - partner states - and their integration are yet to be developed. There are almost three dozen nations willing to join the format in one way or another.
The year 2024 is a landmark year for the foreign policy of the Russian Federation. Despite persistent attempts by a number of states to isolate our country or, at least, present such a picture that key foreign nations are fencing off from Moscow, de facto the situation is completely different. Advancement of the international community towards genuine multipolarity is gaining momentum. And Russia is not a mere witness to these trends, but an active participant in this much-needed process.
The enhancement of truly mutually beneficial and constructive cooperation is exactly at the heart of Russian Chairmanship in BRICS - a unique group of countries in terms of membership and potential. Under the overarching theme “Strengthening Multilateralism for Equitable Global Development and Security” we will do everything possible to further smooth out all the parts of this mechanism.
And it's not just about the five states which have completely and irrevocably proven the relevance of the format over the 15 years of its existence, but also about the new full-fledged members - Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Moreover, as a follow-up to the decisions taken at the historic 15th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, modalities of engagement with a new category - partner states - and their integration are yet to be developed. There are almost three dozen nations willing to join the format in one way or another.
The main goal of Russia's chairmanship is to enhance and bolster BRICS’ role and weight as a center of gravity for countries seeking to pursue an independent foreign policy course. For those who do not want to live under someone else's dictate, and aspire to be on friendly terms with the rest of the world, trading and interacting on equal footing. For those, to whom the fundamental principles of the group - sovereign equality, mutual and consensual consideration of interests, desire to shape a fair model of global markets, search for collective answers to the current challenges - are not an empty word.
However, the above-mentioned priorities in no way imply that member-states see the value of the format in opposing themselves to the collective West. The essence of BRICS doesn’t lie in confrontation, but in promotion of a positive and unifying agenda. Nobody exerts pressure on particular states to join the group. It is all driven by their own plans and intentions.
The very fact that a number of U.S. journalists cast doubt on the ability of China and India, Saudi Arabia and Iran to work together, only confirms a unique character and power of BRICS. When sneering at Argentina's “recusal”, they ignore that there were neither criticism nor threats towards Buenos Aires from other members of the Organization. Only a confirmation of the readiness to cooperate in any convenient form. And this is the key idea behind the new world order - searching for answers to challenges on collective basis, without imposing alien values and influences.
The Russian Federation and our partners are interested in promoting a constructive and mutually respectful dialogue in the following main areas - politics and security, economics and finance, cultural and humanitarian contacts. We intend to work on the implementation of the Strategy for BRICS Economic Partnership 2025 and on the Action Plan on Innovation Cooperation for 2021-2024.
As a part of our Chairmanship, more than 200 various events in different corners of Russia have been scheduled, with the October Summit in Kazan being their apogee. The list of meetings includes business and political conferences, seminars for municipal authorities, a Parliamentary Forum, and the BRICS Sports Games. Strengthening of ties in the fields of science and innovation, healthcare, as well as deepening of contacts between academic and research centers (including the BRICS Network University) also remain in the focus of our agenda.
In our efforts we intend to put a particular emphasis on the issue of enhancing importance of the multilateral format in the international monetary and financial system, as well as on the necessity to increase the role of national currencies in mutual trade. Development of alternative mechanisms of cross-border payments is very much needed. Even politically affiliated experts acknowledge de facto monopolization of the current financial and economic infrastructure. Such situation does not in any way contribute to the global financial stability. And most importantly, it undermines its own credibility by creating new crises and hindering genuine decolonization of the world economy.
A situation when a few countries feel entitled to dictate their will to others, threatening to cut off access to global economic processes, confiscate their assets, and ruin well-being of ordinary citizens, is fundamentally wrong and inconsistent with prevailing tendencies. The overwhelming majority of states have realized the harmfulness of such approaches. We remain fully committed to uniting our resources to design new financial instruments independent from political trends in Washington, Brussels or London, where authorities are ready to neglect national legislative provisions and postulates of international law in order to punish insufficiently loyal partners.
It is unacceptable when the debt burden of developing countries (or rather, their ability to get out of the debt trap they were forced into over decades) is at the “mercy” of the central banks of the United States and Europe.
As for the existing constraints for the use of the national currencies, I am convinced that if there is a will, there is a way. A significant part of issues are related, again, to the long-standing imbalances rooted in the dominance of dollar and euro. An increase in the use of national currencies - such as renminbi, rubles, rupees, dirhams or others - in mutual trade will inevitably result in the advancement of the independent payment infrastructure and in smaller transaction fees. This is a classic free market rule, which Western partners are increasingly trying to manipulate. It seems they do not realize that by endless sanctions and threats of “allegedly legal” seizure of foreign reserves they are digging themselves into a deeper hole.
We are convinced that Russian Chairmanship will contribute to practical results in all above-mentioned areas and provide an additional impetus to cooperation within the BRICS framework. This in turn will strengthen the voice of nations, which are focused on defending true national interests and choosing their own path of development. Russia will bring together representatives of different cultures and civilizations, countries with different economic and political systems. However the discussions will not be focused on differences, but on the search for common ground on the principal of consensus and taking into account each other's positions. Isn't that the essence of genuine multipolarity?
Source: Embassy of Russia in the USA
