More BRICS

Multiple events covered

Aug 24, 2023

There’s much to catch up on since I was out all Wednesday getting a clean bill of health from my surgeon in Portland after my operation 5 weeks ago. Top of the list is Putin’s speech yesterday to the assembled heads-of-state:

Vladimir Putin: Dear President Ramaphosa, dear President Lula, dear Prime Minister Modi, dear President Xi Jinping,
Dear friends and colleagues,
First of all, I would like to thank our South African friends for everything they have done during their BRICS presidency this year.
Our colleagues who spoke have already given a positive assessment of the BRICS activities, and we generally share these assessments. Our " five "has rightfully established itself on the global stage as an authoritative structure, whose influence in world affairs is consistently strengthening.
The strategic course of unification is directed towards the future and meets the aspirations of the main part of the international community, the so-called world majority. Acting in a coordinated manner, based on the principles of equality, partnership support and consideration of each other's interests, we address the most pressing issues on the global and regional agenda.
The main thing is that we all unanimously support the formation of a multipolar world order that is truly fair and based on international law, while respecting the key principles of the UN Charter, including the sovereign right and respect for the right of each nation to its own model of development. We are against any kind of hegemony promoted by some countries of their exclusivity and based on this postulate of a new policy – the policy of continuing neo-colonialism.
I would like to point out that it was the desire to preserve their hegemony in the world, the desire of some countries to preserve this hegemony, that led to the severe crisis in Ukraine. First, with the help of Western countries, an unconstitutional coup d'etat was carried out in this country, and then a war was unleashed against those people who did not agree with this coup, a brutal war, a war of extermination – for eight years.
Russia has decided to support people who are fighting for their culture, for their traditions, for their language, and for their future. Our actions in Ukraine are dictated only by one thing – to put an end to the war that was unleashed by the West and its satellites in Ukraine against the people living in the Donbas.
We are grateful to our BRICS colleagues who are actively participating in efforts to end this situation and achieve a just settlement by peaceful means.
Dear colleagues, the main thing is that we all unanimously support a multipolar world order that is truly just and based on international law.
From year to year, the BRICS countries are building up their potential. As already mentioned, the share of the "five", where more than three billion people live, in global GDP has already exceeded the share of the so-called "Group of Seven"in terms of purchasing power parity. Over the past decade, BRICS countries ' investment in the global economy has doubled, and their combined exports have reached 20 percent of the global total.
The Economic Partnership Strategy of the association States until 2025 is being successfully implemented. In particular, five-sided cooperation is being strengthened in such areas as supply chain diversification, de-dollarization and transition to national currencies in mutual settlements, digital economy, support for small and medium-sized enterprises, and fair technology transfer. Naturally, the business community takes an active part in these processes. Much work is being done through the Business Council and the BRICS Women's Business Alliance, which the host of our meeting today, President Ramaphosa, has already mentioned, and the heads of these organizations are present at this meeting.
An important priority of BRICS cooperation is the creation of new sustainable and safe transport routes. Speaking to the participants of the BRICS Business Forum, I have already mentioned the urgency of accelerating the development of transcontinental routes, such as the North-South corridor, which will connect Russian ports in the North seas and the Baltic Sea with sea terminals on the coast of the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean and in the future will be able to provide annual transit of up to
We believe that the time has come to establish a permanent transport commission within the BRICS framework, which would deal not only with the North-South project, but also in a broader sense with the development of logistics and transport corridors, inter – regional and global. If the partners agree, the Russian side could work out this idea within the framework of the BRICS presidency in 2024.
And of course, we welcome the strengthening of cooperation between the five countries in the field of global innovation. We look forward to intensifying cooperation within the framework of the BRICS Global Network of Research Infrastructures initiative, which could be supported and developed by a special trust fund. For its part, Russia is ready to share its accumulated experience and best practices, including in the field of digital transformation and the use of artificial intelligence.
We are also determined to actively participate in the implementation of the agreements reached on the establishment of a joint working group on nuclear medicine, are interested in putting the BRICS Alliance's activities on cooperation in secondary vocational education into practice as soon as possible, and fully support the proposal of our South African colleagues to organize a separate ministerial meeting on women, whose role in the political, economic and social life of our states it should certainly expand.
Dear colleagues!
Russia will take over the BRICS presidency next year. Our chairmanship will be held under the theme "Strengthening multilateralism for equitable global development and security". We are planning about 200 political, economic and social events that will be hosted by more than a dozen Russian cities.
At the same time, we plan to hold the BRICS summit in October 2024 in Kazan: we will coordinate specific dates with our colleagues through diplomatic channels. It will also host events in the well-established BRICS Plus/Outreach format.
During our presidency, we intend to do everything possible to effectively contribute to the implementation of the decisions taken at the current summit, including those related to expanding the circle of members of the association. We will closely coordinate with our partners on the foreign policy dossier, work together on key international platforms, primarily at the UN, and continue the practice of regular meetings of high-level representatives on security issues.
Of course, we will give priority to such urgent tasks as the fight against terrorism and the spread of terrorist ideology, as well as countering money laundering and the return of assets obtained by criminal means.
By the way, we are grateful to our partners for their support in the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering (FATF). We hope that this solidarity attitude will continue in the future.
We will contribute to the further comprehensive implementation of the BRICS Economic Partnership Strategy until 2025 and the development of new, long-term cooperation guidelines. These include increasing the role of our countries in the international monetary and financial system, developing interbank cooperation, expanding the use of national currencies, and deepening cooperation between tax, customs, and antimonopoly authorities.
Of course, Russia's priorities include building up partnerships in science and innovation, healthcare, education, and developing humanitarian ties in general. Cultural and civilizational diversity is one of the supporting pillars of the new multipolar world order, which implies the creation of an integral, free space for cultural exchange, art, and creativity.
It seems that we have a serious conversation with our BRICS partners, by the way, and our SCO partners – it is important for us – and with our CIS partners and other countries about the future of culture in the world, about preserving and enhancing the world's cultural heritage. By the way, the ninth international cultural forum, which is already scheduled to be held in the city of St. Petersburg in Russia from November 16 to 18 of this year, could become a platform for such a dialogue.
And, of course, Russia will continue to contribute in every possible way to the further development of contacts in the field of sports and youth exchanges. In particular, the BRICS Games are scheduled for June 2024. We will also be happy to welcome teams from the association countries to the Games of the Future international tournament being held in Kazan next year. These competitions are a unique combination of dynamic sports disciplines with the most popular video games and technological devices. A good opportunity for contacts and friendly communication will be presented in March 2024 in Sochi at the World Youth Festival.
In conclusion, I would like to emphasize once again that Russia, during its presidency, will engage in the most constructive manner with its Five partners in order to further strengthen the role and authority of the BRICS, which will certainly continue to grow.
Thank you for your attention.

Again:

The main thing is that we all unanimously support the formation of a multipolar world order that is truly fair and based on international law, while respecting the key principles of the UN Charter, including the sovereign right and respect for the right of each nation to its own model of development. We are against any kind of hegemony promoted by some countries of their exclusivity and based on this postulate of a new policy – the policy of continuing neo-colonialism.
I would like to point out that it was the desire to preserve their hegemony in the world, the desire of some countries to preserve this hegemony, that led to the severe crisis in Ukraine. First, with the help of Western countries, an unconstitutional coup d'etat was carried out in this country, and then a war was unleashed against those people who did not agree with this coup, a brutal war, a war of extermination – for eight years.
Russia has decided to support people who are fighting for their culture, for their traditions, for their language, and for their future. Our actions in Ukraine are dictated only by one thing – to put an end to the war that was unleashed by the West and its satellites in Ukraine against the people living in the Donbas.
We are grateful to our BRICS colleagues who are actively participating in efforts to end this situation and achieve a just settlement by peaceful means.
Dear colleagues, the main thing is that we all unanimously support a multipolar world order that is truly just and based on international law. [My Emphasis]

BRICS's goals can be stated any clearer than that.

It must be called that Lavrov was Russia’s representative at the BRICS Summit and along with his delegation handled all the in-person work, like sideline meetings and such. Those brief media readouts can be found at the MFA’s website for those interested in such blurbs of which there’re eight so far. Of those, the meeting with President of the Central African Republic Faustin Archange Touadéra provided the most information:

During the conversation, an interested exchange of views was held on priority areas for the further development of friendly Russian-Central African relations, emphasizing the high level of foreign policy cooperation in the UN and other multilateral organizations. At the same time, Moscow and Bangui reaffirmed their firm commitment to deepening political dialogue and expanding mutually beneficial cooperation in trade, economic, investment and humanitarian fields.
The Russian side expressed its readiness to continue effective support for Bangui's efforts to ensure peace and security in the country, both on a bilateral basis and as a permanent member of the UN Security Council.
The interlocutors noted the importance of the second Russia-Africa Summit held in St. Petersburg in July 2023 in the context of strengthening the diverse relations between the Russian Federation and the countries of the African continent.

Yes, the media notes are that brief. Now back to Putin’s actions from Moscow. The Kremlin limits what’s known of his participation to the speeches he gives, not the overall transcript of the entire meeting, which in this case is known as the BRICS Plus/Outreach:

Vladimir Putin: Dear President Ramaphosa, Dear Heads of State, colleagues and friends, Ladies and gentlemen,
First of all, I would like to thank the South African presidency for organizing such a representative meeting in the BRICS Plus/Outreach format today. This format of communication is very important. It provides a good opportunity for a substantive discussion of topical issues of mutually beneficial cooperation with those countries that largely share the approaches of the "five", that is, with our like-minded people. I am glad to welcome you all, dear friends.
We are all in favor of creating a new multipolar world order that is truly balanced and takes into account the sovereign interests of the widest possible range of States, opens up opportunities for implementing various development models, and helps preserve the diversity of national cultures and traditions.

I would like to note that BRICS does not compete with anyone, does not oppose itself to anyone. But it is also obvious that this objective process-the process of creating a new world order-still has irreconcilable opponents who are trying to slow down this process, to restrain the formation of new, independent centers of development and influence in the world.
The countries of the so-called golden billion are doing everything possible to preserve the former unipolar world. It suits them, it benefits them. They are trying to replace the system of international law with their own so-called order, based on rules that no one has ever seen, rules that are used, I must say, for selfish purposes and change to suit the current political situation at any time and in any way in accordance with the interests of individual countries.
In fact, this is also colonialism, only in a new package, by the way, not so good-looking, and modern colonizers, hiding behind the good slogans of democracy and human rights, seek to solve their problems at the expense of others, continuing to shamelessly siphon resources from developing countries.
By the way, the Brazilian President has just mentioned the debt burden of developing economies. Of course, on the one hand, huge amounts of resources are being siphoned off, and on the other hand, such a relationship is being created in the field of loans that it becomes almost impossible to pay off these loans, and this no longer looks like loan obligations, but like an indemnity.
The new world order is also threatened by the radical neoliberalism imposed by some countries, which is aimed at destroying traditional values that are important to all of us: This is the institution of the family, respect for national and religious traditions.
For the sake of opportunistic tasks, some politicians do not hesitate to justify even neo-Nazism, xenophobia, and extremism of various kinds and condone terrorists.
The world majority, to which the countries present here belong, is increasingly tired of all kinds of pressure and manipulations, but is ready for honest, equal and mutually respectful cooperation.
It is from this perspective that the BRICS countries approach the development of multifaceted relations with all the countries represented here and other interested states, as well as with regional integration structures, including the CIS, Eurasec, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, ASEAN, the Community of Caribbean Countries, and the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Persian Gulf.
Given the fact that the majority of African states are actually taking part in our meeting, the BRICS ' attention is naturally focused on Africa, and we in Russia are only too happy about this. We believe that this is very correct, especially since our current President is the Republic of South Africa.
Dear friends, we recently met with many of you in St. Petersburg at the second Russia – Africa Summit, where we had useful and constructive discussions. In St. Petersburg, it was confirmed that Russia and Africa are bound by growing ties of friendship and close mutually beneficial relations, the foundations of which were laid in the middle of the last century, during the struggle of the peoples of the African continent for freedom.
We very much appreciate that the African countries are extremely friendly to Russia. For our part, Russia is sincerely interested in further deepening its multifaceted ties with the African continent, and we will actively promote these ties in practice and implement new joint projects in various fields.
Our country pays special attention to issues related to the provision of food and fertilizers to African States and world markets in general. In other words, we will use all available opportunities to contribute to global efforts to fight hunger and prevent a food crisis. Fortunately, for the second year in a row, we, thank God, are harvesting a record grain harvest.
By the way, as I said, in the coming months we will allocate 25-50 thousand tons of grain to six African countries as a priority humanitarian aid and deliver it free of charge, we talked about this back in St. Petersburg. Now negotiations with our friends in these areas, in these countries, are coming to an end. We are doing all this, by the way, despite the obstacles that are being put in our way, despite the illegal sanctions imposed on our exports, which seriously complicate transport logistics, insurance and payment processing. Our African friends can rest assured that Russia will always remain a reliable supplier of agricultural products and will continue to support the most needy countries.
Russia is equally responsible in its commitments to export energy resources, which are mainly focused on rapidly developing markets. Russian fuel at a competitive price allows friendly countries, including African ones, to restrain price increases and increase industrial and agricultural production. This strengthens their energy security and economic sustainability.
According to experts, by 2050, the world's population will grow by 1.7 billion people, and global energy demand – by 22 percent. First of all, this demand will grow in the least developed and developing countries. Therefore, it is quite obvious that in the foreseeable future there is no alternative to hydrocarbon fuels, which means that the energy transition, which, of course, is necessary, but still this energy transition to a low-emission economy should be gradual, balanced, carefully calibrated, taking into account the national characteristics and capabilities of countries.
By the way, some countries are now facing the same mistakes that they made in planning this transition. The problems are only getting worse. But we see the solution to these problems in the efficient use of all types of energy resources based on the introduction of new, clean technologies and measures that stimulate the reduction of the carbon footprint. And, of course, together with our BRICS partners, we stand for strengthening equal technological cooperation both in the field of renewable energy and in other important sectors, including the development of new types of nuclear reactors, the promotion of hydrogen technologies, and so on, such as hydropower. By the way, Africa is also our priority partner in these areas.
Currently, more than 30 promising energy projects with Russian participation are under various stages of development. We are very active in 16 countries. In Egypt, for example, Rosatom is building the Dabaa nuclear power plant. The total capacity of the electric power projects we promote is about 3.7 gigawatts.
Over the past two years, exports of Russian crude oil, petroleum products, and liquefied natural gas to Africa have increased 2.6 times – a decent 2.6-fold increase.
Of course, everything that was discussed: the export of food, fertilizers, energy resources, cooperation in other economic spheres, as well as in the field of culture, science, education, sports – all this fully applies not only to Africa, but also to other regions and, of course, to those invited to our meeting in the format of "BRICS plus / outreach" to countries. We will build constructive and mutually beneficial relations with all of them and expand our partnership. Our country has a lot to offer.
In this regard, I would like to note that next year Russia will preside over the BRICS. On behalf of our colleagues, we will work primarily with countries that join our work in the BRICS plus/Outreach format.
Dear colleagues!
In conclusion, I would like to express my confidence that this meeting will be very useful and, I hope, will contribute to strengthening the friendly relations of the "five" countries – starting next year, not the five, but more countries – with your states and will serve to intensify cooperation in various areas.
Thank you for your attention.

Lavrov was at the post-Summit presser, made a short statement announcing the new BRICS plus/outreach format formation and then took questions. The next article will look at the BRICS Declaration and additional discussion. Here’s Lavrov sans blockquotes:

Ladies and gentlemen,

The BRICS summit, in which President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin took part via videoconference, has come to an end. I was instructed to represent our country directly here "on the spot".

Following the results of the BRICS summit, a press conference of our leaders was held today. All five leaders outlined their assessments, starting with South African President Ramaphosa as President of the Organization in 2023, who announced the adoption of the final political declaration and paid special attention to the decision to expand the full members of BRICS by six states.

Now the "BRICS plus" has already begun. More than sixty countries interested in developing relations with our association in the BRICS plus/outreach formats and partner countries have been invited. This is a new format approved at this summit. It was instructed to prepare a specific refraction of this agreement into a list of applicants for the status of a partner country for the next summit, which will be held in the fall of 2024 in Kazan. The foreign ministers have been instructed to continue this work.

Question: The term "single unit of account" is being used more and more often. In particular, during the plenary session, it was voiced by the President of Brazil L. Lula da Silva. During the summit, we discussed some more detailed details of its implementation (in particular, the timing), its operation, and can it really become a quick alternative to the "single currency" of the BRICS?

Sergey Lavrov: No one is talking about the "single currency" now. Now all attention is focused on finding ways to ensure mutual trade, economic projects and investments in such a way as not to depend on the system controlled by the United States and its Western allies, to be independent of the dollar, euro and the yen.

These countries have proven their ability and willingness to actively abuse their status as issuers of reserve currencies in order to achieve political goals in violation of all rules of the free market, international trade and the WTO.

Quite a long time after the creation of the BRICS New Development Bank, another project was formed within the framework of the "five" called the "pool of reserve currencies". This is the forerunner of the steps that we are now planning to take to facilitate the use of national currencies and, most importantly, to create an alternative payment system. Finance ministers and chairmen of the central banks of our countries have been instructed to concretize it. They should form an appropriate working group and prepare recommendations for the heads of state for the next summit in Kazan.

Question: How difficult were the negotiations on enlargement? Have you managed to agree on the criteria for the admission of new members to the Organization? In this regard, will the BRICS change its name? How do you explain the increased interest of many dozens of countries in joining this association?

Sergey Lavrov: The discussion was quite intensive. I cannot say that it is without problems, but with the focus of each state on making a decision on the admission of new members.

Of course, the criteria and procedures approved for the partner countries were taken into account. First of all, the weight, authority, significance of a particular candidate country for membership and its position in the international arena were taken into account. Everyone is in favor of us replenishing our ranks with like-minded countries, countries that believe in multipolarity and the need for more democratic and fair international relations, insist on increasing the role of the Global South in the mechanisms of global governance. The six countries whose names were announced today and fully meet these criteria will fully participate in the work of BRICS from January 1, 2024. Let me remind you that these are Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Argentina, Ethiopia, Iran and Egypt. All of them expressed a strong desire to join this group. Of the twenty-three formal applications received, the six to which I have mentioned have been examined.

What is the reason for such explosive growth of BRICS? It seems to me that it lies in the understanding by countries that want to get closer to the "five" of the root causes of the processes taking place in the international arena. They exposed the absolute charge of the West to preserve its hegemony at any cost. They are well aware of the reasons why the West is trying to achieve its goals, using Ukraine against the Russian Federation in this case. All this was clearly manifested in the discussions and our conversations with the countries represented at today's meetings in Johannesburg. It is clear that this hegemony is global. Everyone is aware that the goal of the United States is not to "punish" Russia by using the Nazi Ukrainian regime, but to eliminate dissent and dissent in the international arena. This has been clearly manifested lately.

We are now in Africa. Look at how the Americans "court" African countries, literally dictating their will to them. Last year, the United States passed a law called "On Countering Russia's Malicious Activities in Africa." When it was adopted in the US House of Representatives (even before the Senate), Africans were indignant, raised their voices against such a boorish attitude towards them. Now this Chamber is thinking about how to change the name. But the essence of this law will remain the same. The Americans adopted their Sub-Saharan Africa Strategy. This document contains only seventeen pages, but it mentions Russia and China seven times as the main obstacle to Africa's prosperity. Maybe this is designed for inexperienced people who do not understand anything or have not read anything about history. But for African countries, this is another insult. This means that their sovereign right to choose their partners is ignored. In the fall of 2022, meetings of the IMF and the World Bank were held, during which US Treasury Secretary D. Yellen "taught life" to African countries and said, without blushing or embarrassment, that they should remember who gives them money. It's as simple as that and without any diplomatic "intricacies". At a recent inter-African event, President of Kenya William Ruto spoke publicly into the microphone about how the Americans and their closest allies are demanding that African countries accept invitations to events in which the West is interested, and not participate in events held with the participation of the Russian Federation. It all shows.

A normal country cannot tolerate such an attitude towards itself. It seems to many that it is not very convenient to resist such pressure alone. They see the Organization as allies, a bulwark of the very multipolar world that we must all form, following the objective trends of world development.

BRICS, which is undoubtedly particularly strengthened and expanded, is one of the leading pillars of what will be a just world order based on the principles of the UN Charter. And not in their perverted interpretation, as the West does (including with regard to what is happening in Ukraine), but exclusively in the fullness and interconnection of these principles of the United Nations.

As for the name. All for it to remain. It has already become a brand. None of the new members of the BRICS proposed otherwise. It seems to me that everyone understands that it is better to leave "everything as it is." This will underline the continuity of our work.

Question: Representatives of the World Majority have gathered in Johannesburg today. We see how the interests of this, to put it mildly, "majority" do not fit in with the agenda of the countries of the "collective West". What needs to happen for these countries to begin to change their foreign policy, turning it in the direction of common sense?

During your meetings on the sidelines of the summit, did you touch upon the democratisation of the UN's activities, in particular, the revival of its central role in coordinating the interests of member states?

Sergey Lavrov: That's a solid question. Swing for a lecture. I will try to answer succinctly.

As for the prospects for when the West will turn towards common sense. I can't judge. The "figures" who now lead Western governments in the vast majority of countries are showing solidarity under Washington's leadership in advancing the American agenda. Including (as we see it in Europe) to the detriment of themselves, their economy and citizens. This is an absolutely ideologized group of countries that, as President Vladimir Putin once put it, "imagines itself to be celestials and is trying to replace the Lord God."

We sometimes encounter such people, we talk to them "on the sidelines", but there is no glimmer of common sense there. "You must", "you must". To whom do we owe and owe? This is not the case when you can expect to convey your point of view to the interlocutor through dialogue and expect that he, at least, will hear it.

We are always open to discussions, but we are not going to respond with calls for discussion to boorish ultimatums, blackmail and threats against us. If common sense doesn't prevail... The Westerners themselves say that they must "defeat" Russia on the battlefield and "inflict a strategic defeat on it." That's what they have now instead of common sense. So we will work on this "field", not on a diplomatic or international legal field, but on the battlefield.

They understand perfectly, but they can't pronounce it. They are forbidden. They know what we are fighting for there. This was clearly stated by Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking at the BRICS summit: for their security, for the interests of people who want to speak Russian, educate their children in Russian language, use the fruits of Russian culture on the lands that their ancestors had been equipping for centuries. This is a thing that should be understood by everyone.

As for the democratization of the UN. We have been talking for a long time about the need to reform the United Nations. Over the past 15 years, many innovations have been made, various commissions have been created on peacebuilding (this topic has appeared on the agenda), on climate issues, on artificial intelligence and information technology. Much has been done. This contributes to the fact that the Organization adapts to the development of peace, science and technology.

The main issue is the reform of the Security Council. It is this body that symbolizes the UN in the eyes of the vast majority of people. It has powers that no one else has, including dealing with issues of war and peace, as well as issues of coercive measures such as sanctions. When we talk about justice and democratization, it cannot be tolerated that of the 15 members of the Security Council, 6 represent the "camp" of the United States, completely subordinate to its will.

We discussed this yesterday and today. There is a paragraph in the documents that we have adopted that reaffirms the commitment of the BRICS countries to reform the Security Council in order to increase the representation of developing countries. It mentions India, Brazil and South Africa as states whose active role in the world Organization we value and want it to be strengthened within the framework of the Security Council.

For the first time, the BRICS documents state that we support the reform of the UN Security Council by expanding the representation of developing countries in all categories of membership, which includes permanent membership.

We have again clarified our position on the other two candidates for permanent seats. India and Brazil have long and officially submitted their applications. Together with them, Germany and Japan, the so-called "group of four", did the same. Situationally, they have the same interests, but in terms of meaning, there can be no question of Germany and Japan joining the Security Council on a permanent basis, thereby exacerbating injustice. More than a third of the current composition of the Security Council represents the countries of the so-called "golden billion", and the remaining 7 billion are underrepresented. Neither Germany nor Japan will bring anything new to the Security Council's deliberations. They are obedient executors of Washington's will, like almost all other Western countries. Rare voices about the "strategic autonomy" of the European Union are simply drowning in the cry of "keep discipline" and "do not get out of the ranks."

Today's decision, which was announced at a press conference in the morning, will further strengthen our coordination. BRICS already regularly holds events within the framework of the UN. For example, there will be the UN General Assembly in September. Every year we gather there at the level of ministers of our association.

We will not wait until January 1, 2024, but will begin to establish contacts in advance (as the future BRICS chairman) with new members, we will help them "get into business" so that by the summit in Kazan all 11 (we have such a football team) will be fully immersed in the substance of the issues that our chairmanship has already announced.

Today, President of Russia Vladimir Putin spoke about what we plan to do in 2024 to build on the decisions and results achieved under the chairmanship of South Africa.

Question: Next year, Russia will take over the BRICS presidency. You have already mentioned that the Organisation's summit will be held in Kazan. We were wished good luck in the final declaration. Are we ready for the summit? What will be our chairmanship? What do we want to do?

Sergey Lavrov: If you have been following our lives for the past twenty years, we are ready for anything.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin has announced all the priorities that we will promote. First, there are carry-over responsibilities. In particular, the implementation of the Economic Partnership Strategy of our association. There is also the Action Plan of the BRICS countries in the field of innovative cooperation for 2021-2024, which is responsible for ensuring the implementation of all the projects that are laid down in it. If we talk about the Action Plan for Innovative Cooperation, during the COVID-19 pandemic, BRICS created structures to combat infectious diseases, created a Joint Center for Virus Research and much more. Given our leading role in this area, we will make healthcare one of our priorities.

Secondly, the Business Council, the Women's Business Alliance, created at the initiative of Russia, the Youth Forum, will continue to work, contacts between scientists, cultural figures, in the field of education (BRICS Network University) will intensify. Under our chairmanship, a number of events are planned at the level of higher education institutions of all 5 countries (next year there will be 11 of them).

If we talk about energy. We have long had an energy research platform created on our initiative. It functions, contains useful information. Now, when we are joined by such major players in the energy market as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the topic of energy will sparkle with new facets and will be in great demand. Luck is always needed. I guarantee you that it is provided.

Question: On the eve of the summit, a number of analysts and media outlets said that the expansion of BRICS would be a moral victory for Moscow and Beijing. The overall weight of the Organization in the global economy and geopolitics will indeed increase. What can be said about Russia's share in the association, given that this summer the BRICS New Development Bank abandoned new investment projects in Russia due to sanctions?

Sergey Lavrov: Russia's weight is not related to what the New Development Bank decides. But the decisions taken to "freeze" already approved projects on the territory of the Russian Federation were illegal. The former leaders of this bank exceeded their authority and distorted the statutory goals that stood at the creation of the New Development Bank.

The new president, D. Rousseff, fully understands the tasks that it faces in accordance with the above-mentioned statutory documents: to develop banking relations and financing industrial and other projects in the interests of the member countries of the New Development Bank, regardless of the artificial obstacles that are being built by international monetary and financial structures under the leadership of the United States.

There is an agreement to begin substantive work on the creation of alternative payment systems. This will be another contribution to ensuring the effective operation of the New Development Bank.

I would not talk about anyone's weight, although, in the end, the share of each country can be measured by membership in the UN: how much "weight" each country has, how many employees work in the Secretariat according to its quota.

The difference between BRICS and the same "seven" and other Western-centric structures is that everyone there listens to the United States. There are some nuances, someone somewhere "breaks through" something in addition to the strategic line that Washington determines, but it is he who determines the general course.

Our association has a completely different approach to work. Today and yesterday, at a closed meeting, we talked a lot about this. It is no coincidence that, in answering the previous question, I spoke about the explosive interest in cooperation with BRICS, in joining the Organization. All this reflects similar trends. It's different, honest: equality is ensured for each participant. If someone is not satisfied with this or that decision, then there will be no consensus. If someone has discomfort, everyone else does their best to find formulations and solutions that will help ensure unity. This means reaching consensus, not following the commands of the "boss". Consensus takes longer, but the agreements reached in this way are much more stable, long-lasting and effective.

I read and saw on television before the start of this summit that Western channels, announcing the opening of the summit of the Organization, explained that BRICS is an "economic club". To a certain extent, economics plays an important role, given that in terms of purchasing power parity, the current "five" are ahead of the members of the Group of Seven, and with the addition of 6 new members, this gap will widen even more. We do a lot in the economy. I have already listed what work is to be done for our central banks, the ministries of finance, energy and transport.

One of the important initiatives put forward by President of Russia Vladimir Putin, analysing the situation with supply chains and logistics infrastructure in general, is a promising project that is now gaining priority – the North-South International Transport Corridor. In conjunction with the Northern Sea Route, these routes create fundamentally different opportunities for increasing the growth rates of the world economy and the states located in Eurasia. With the involvement of the countries of the Middle East and the Persian Gulf countries, the opportunities for the effective implementation of these logistics projects are only increasing.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed the creation of a commission on transfers to BRICS. I think we will do this under our presidency. Similarly, everyone supported the proposal of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to create a space exploration commission. Very good offer. We all congratulated our Indian friends on the successful landing of the lander on the side of the moon, where nothing made by man touched its surface. Space is a promising topic. As well as energy.

There is a huge economic potential. But to call BRICS an "economic club" is to try to belittle its real significance. The political declaration clearly states our demand for the democratization of international relations, the enhancement of the role of the Global South in the mechanisms of global governance, and states that we will comply with international law and the UN Charter in its entirety and the interconnection of the norms and principles contained therein.

We spoke in favour of reforming the UN Security Council exclusively in favour of the developing countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America. In addition to the fact that we must intensify the reform of the UN Security Council, the BRICS countries will also continue their coordinated activities to ensure a fairer order in the Bretton Woods institutions – the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the World Trade Organization.

The expansion of the BRICS is quite rapid and large. The decision that at the next stage we will also identify an additional category of partners is the result of the Organization's approaches to international political problems and the vision of the future of international relations based on the promotion of objective trends in multipolarity, when centers of growth, financial power, and political influence are being formed that are not ready to simply blindly carry out the "instructions" of the West, which is unable to get rid of its colonial habits and is trying to live at the expense of others.

At this meeting and at the Russia-Africa summit in St Petersburg, the Africans told us that they should not be supplied with food, they asked for technologies on how to grow grain efficiently, how to process and process it. The same applies to many other things.

President of Uganda Y.K. Museveni gave such an example. The world coffee market is estimated at a little more than $ 450 billion, of which the countries producing coffee beans and raw materials receive only $ 25 billion. If we take Africa, then all African countries receive less than $ 3 billion. for coffee beans sold to the West. While Germany alone, selling processed raw materials as finished products, receives $ 7.5 billion. 2.5 times more than the whole of Africa. That's what we talked about.

This summit raised to a qualitatively new level the discussion about justice, about the fact that it is impossible to live forever at the expense of the resources of developing countries. Africans remember well the colonial times and what they fought for. Having gained independence, they saw that they were again trying to maintain them only for suppliers of resources at low prices, and the West would have all the added value and its advantage. They are not satisfied with this.

Now comes a rather serious turning point. It is not for nothing that we say that the era of transition to multipolarity has begun. It is unstoppable. This process is historically predetermined.

Question: Given that the BRICS membership includes oil-producing states, did Russia propose to establish the BRICS Energy Union or, perhaps, the BRICS Energy Bank within its framework? If so, have the relevant instructions been given to the working groups?

Sergey Lavrov: We have energy sectors within BRICS. When we have new members, let's see what initiatives they have. If they are supported, we will implement them.

Question: Speaking at the BRICS summit, President Vladimir Putin said that Russia was ready to return to the grain deal if all the conditions agreed upon by Turkey last year were met. Are there any signs that the West is ready to fulfill its obligations in order to return to the "grain deal"?

Sergey Lavrov: So far, we have not seen any such signs. The West only calls on us to support the UN proposals.

Today I will meet with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Of course, I'll talk to him about it.

The UN proposals, which were repeatedly made, including in May of this year and the beginning of July of this year, were as follows: there is no need to withdraw Russia's consent to the Ukrainian part of the "package", let everything go as it went, they say, they will add a couple more ports, the number of inspections, so that this volume is constantly increasing. If we do this, then they will start talking about supposedly returning Rosselkhozbank JSC to the SWIFT system in three months, and they will also convince insurance companies not to "bully" rates too much, and they will agree that Russian ships can enter some ports.

We cannot accept any of this. We have been "fed" with promises on this particular topic for a whole year. On other issues, not related to the "grain deal", but to our ties with the West, we were repeatedly "fed" with the same promises that were never fulfilled.

One example. It would seem that it costs nothing at all to resolve the situation with Russian approvals (260 thousand tons) arrested in the ports of the European Union more than a year ago. The company that owns these fertilizers has already stated that we give them away to developing countries free of charge. President of Russia Vladimir Putin has publicly called on the European Union to unblock these fertilisers, which we are ready to deliver to their destinations free of charge at our own expense. For more than a year since we announced this, out of 260,20 tonnes, the first batch of 34,200 tonnes has been sent to Malawi with great difficulty (it took five months to agree). Three months later, <> thousand tons were sent to Kenya. The rest of the more than <> thousand tons are still lying. Not very good for the quality of fertilizers when they are "dead weight" in ports. A similar deal for Nigeria is being slowed down for reasons unknown to us. This is what the "promises" of the West are worth, even when you give them something for free just to pass on to countries in need.

As President Vladimir Putin recently reaffirmed, as soon as everything that has been promised to us is fulfilled, we are ready to resume the Ukrainian part of the package on the same day and hour. It was, indeed, a "package". We signed it as a decision, both parts of which are interconnected.

Question: We have been in Africa for three days now. I have a question about regional issues. Are you discussing the situation in Niger with any of your colleagues on the African continent and BRICS? What will be the reaction of Russia and the BRICS countries in the event of a possible ECOWAS invasion of this country?

Sergey Lavrov: We did not discuss the situation in Niger specifically. She did not appear. ECOWAS is doing this here, but not in its entirety. Not all members of the community support the intervention.

The West likes to take out of context and in line with the "cancel culture" any event that it wants to explain in the way it needs, considers it in isolation, canceling all other factors, the entire background of the issue.

The Sahara-Sahel zone in Africa has been suffering from terrorism since 2011, when NATO destroyed Libya, destroyed the Libyan state, supporting the terrorists whom they "instigated" against Gaddafi. When Libya ceased to exist, it became a "black hole", a "passage yard" through which millions of illegal migrants rushed to the north, and to the south - the very bandits that the West used to overthrow the Gaddafi regime. Now these "guys" have already created here and are strengthening groups affiliated with ISIS and Al-Qaeda. The French, who for a long time actively supported the opposition to Gaddafi and helped them with weapons, are now leaving Mali. And the mission of the European Union too.

We must see the true causes of these coups. If we look at what Africa has from cooperation with the West (I have just spoken about this in detail), then the added value is "carried away" from the African continent. Only resources are taken from here.

Since Soviet times, we have always tried to behave differently, creating the foundations of industry, the education system, and medicine.

What are called coups have already happened in Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso. I didn't do it deeply. When a certain part of society, in this case, the military, sees that the system of relations with the West, which the rulers of this respective country have built and with which they are personally satisfied, does not help solve the problems of the entire population, then these factors cannot be "discounted".

I don't think the invasion will be good for anyone. From another part of ECOWAS, a force is already being created to counter the invasion. I do not wish Africans this kind of scenario. This will be devastating and disastrous for a large number of countries and thousands of people.

Question: The day before, French President Emmanuel Macron said that he was ready to talk to President of Russia Vladimir Putin when "it will be useful." He did not manage to come to the BRICS summit, now he wants to go to Moscow? When can such a dialogue be useful for Russia?

Sergey Lavrov: I do not follow statements about who is going to do what with regard to Russia and speak about it publicly. If you are interested in something, then basic decency and the rules of diplomacy require that you convey your interest (whether it is a meeting, a telephone conversation) through diplomatic channels. A year ago, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Willow Scholz said that they were continuing the dialogue, that they would have their say again. At the same time, they declare publicly how and when they will return Russia to the "civilized community". I stopped reading and paying attention to it. If you talk about it publicly, it means that you are interested in the audience that listens to you (your voters, partners in the European Union). It is not clear what signals are sent by such statements.

Question: The other day, the French president once again said that France cannot allow the defeat of Ukraine and that Kiev should prepare for a long-term confrontation. The French Republic, in turn, will ensure the supply of long-range missiles. At the same time, President Emmanuel Macron positions himself as a potential mediator of the Ukrainian conflict, ready to talk with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He expressed his desire to take part in the BRICS summit. In your opinion, can France become a mediator in resolving the conflict? How do you assess such contradictory statements by the French president?

Sergey Lavrov: I have already touched on this issue. I proceed from the premise that if someone wants to contribute to the search for ways to a settlement, it is done not through a microphone, but through the appropriate channels. Everyone knows that. It is not known for what purpose public, loud statements are made on one or another topic. Either they will be intermediaries, or they will give long-range missiles so that they shoot at Russian territory. It is difficult for me to deduce any considerations from these statements. Knowing what is happening in Europe now, probably, this is a desire to remind yourself, to show how active you are and how you need to be supported. I can only guess.

France was already in the intermediaries. Mr Hollande was the guarantor of the Minsk Agreements. Then, proudly in 2022, he said that they were not going to implement anything, despite the fact that these agreements were approved by the UN Security Council. They needed to buy time to pump Ukraine with weapons against Russia. Therefore, when Emmanuel Macron says that they will provide long-range missiles, this is the same thing that Francois Hollande said when he was an intermediary. Judge for yourself.

Question: On the eve of the Johannesburg summit, some Western media outlets noted that the BRICS summit focused on South Africa's relations with Moscow. How would you characterize the current level of interaction between Moscow and Pretoria?

Sergey Lavrov: Our relations are excellent. President Ramaphosa visited the Russian Federation twice this year. The first time was in June, when he asked President Vladimir Putin to receive a delegation of seven African leaders to discuss the situation around Ukraine without any publicity, as it should be.

The second time I came to St Petersburg to participate in the Russia-Africa summit was at the end of July this year, and in both cases we held bilateral, trust-based, frank and useful talks. The presidents have determined (and will continue to do so) ways to further develop our relations in all areas: in the economy, investment, high technology, science, education, sports, military and military-technical cooperation.

I believe that these relations are on the rise. We appreciate, as all the leading politicians of the Republic of South Africa remember, the role of the Soviet Union in the struggle against apartheid, but also in the decolonization of the whole of Africa. We have a solid historical political foundation. We are now paying more and more attention to the areas of material cooperation that I have mentioned. There is no doubt that we have good prospects.

Question: In Niger and other African countries, in particular Mali and Burkina Faso, there are popular actions. People are taking to the streets calling on Russia and its partners to play an active role in protecting the countries of the region from foreign interference, and from neocolonialism in general. What is Russia's position on threats of external interference in Niger? What role can Russia and its allies play in this crisis?

Sergey Lavrov: Immediately after what happened in Niger, there were timid but rather loud attempts to accuse Russia of organising the change of power through a coup d'état. But very quickly, even in leading Western countries, officials were quick to declare that they had no data to support such claims.

These demonstrations, the Russian flags are, first of all, in my opinion, a reflection of the feelings that the inhabitants (in this case of Niger) feel about their daily lives. Niger was one of the most reliable allies of the West, France. There is an American military base there. Probably, people analyze this long-term, decades-long priority partnership with the West and understand that it does not give them very much, that they remain in a subordinate position, their own development does not move much. This is dissatisfaction with Western practices, which are based on colonial methods, and on the other hand, there is a memory of how we fought colonialism together. I think this cannot be written off. These are not just lofty words. For African leaders and peoples, this is indeed a deep-rooted belief.

It is necessary for everyone to switch to equal relations, respect each other, seek a balance of interests, dictate nothing to anyone, and that all governments follow the requirements that fully comply with the UN Charter, which states that the Organization is based on the sovereign equality of all states, large and small. If at least once the West tries to conduct its policy in accordance with this requirement, which it signed and which it ratified when the UN was created, then, perhaps, common sense will get some chance.

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