Politika (Serbia) Interviews Ryabkov on BRICS

Plus, Putin's remark about trading in national currencies.

Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov, Russia’s top BRICS Sherpa, sat down with a representative of the Serbian publication Politika to talk about the BRICS Summit that commences today in Kazan. A great deal has already transpired with BRICS leaders arriving in Kazan and in some cases immediately meeting President Putin on the sidelines where he has at least 17 meetings planned. One of the first meetings was with BRICS New Development Bank President Dilma Rousseff that produced the first major news item reporting these words by Putin:

Increasing payments in local currencies reduces debt service fees, increases the financial independence of the BRICS member countries, reduces geopolitical risks as much as possible, and spares the development of the economy from politics as much as possible in today's world. [My Emphasis]

Media is focusing on the emphasized text and what it means. Most of the public shows associated with these meetings consists of the usual protocol pleasantries with the real substance discussed behind closed doors. With that update concluded, here’s Ryabkov:

Question: An impressive number of world leaders will arrive at the upcoming BRICS summit in Kazan at the invitation of President Vladimir Putin. Is there a place for allegations about Moscow's isolation in the international arena?

Ryabkov: Only those who are engaged in misinforming international public opinion can talk about the isolation of our country. In recent years, the point of view has taken hold in the West that Russia is engaged in propaganda and disinformation with might and main. And we present everything as it is. There was no talk of isolating Russia either on February 24, 2022, when the special military operation began, or even more so now. On October 22-24, 2024, more than thirty world leaders and representatives of a number of international organizations will gather in Kazan. They will hold intensive discussions on key agenda items and, of course, bilateral meetings. Claims that Russia is in a kind of isolation are on the conscience of those who spread this kind of speculation – if they have a conscience. They are completely untrue.

Question: The West claims that Russia is alone on the world stage, that all allies are together with Kiev. And it turns out that the majority of the world - both in terms of population and territory - will be present in Kazan.

Ryabkov: The numbers speak for themselves. We pay a lot of attention to studying the dynamics of economic development of the BRICS countries. The indicators are high - higher than in the West. The share in world GDP in terms of purchasing power parity is approaching 40%. But this is not the only point: BRICS is an association of states driven by common values. These include mutual respect, unconditional commitment to national sovereignty, recognition of the ability of each country to choose its own path, and complete rejection of attempts at diktat and pressure. This structure is already influential. I am sure that after Kazan, the world majority will receive important signals from BRICS in terms of forming a new constructive agenda.

Question: BRICS includes many friends of Serbia who respect its sovereignty and territorial integrity. What are the opportunities for collaboration?

Ryabkov: I hope that a decision will be made in Kazan that is understandable to the world majority to create a category of partner states. Until now, BRICS has developed as a structure that has gradually expanded, but at the same time has practiced the "Outreach" and "BRICS Plus" formats. For understanding, Outreach is a close neighborhood: for example, when South Africa chaired, it invited mainly African countries. And BRICS Plus is about attracting states from other regions, including on the principle of their coordination in the relevant multilateral structures. Now we want to open the doors of BRICS to countries that are interested in in-depth cooperation on topics of interest to them, so that they have the opportunity to participate in practical work as much as possible. Serbia, as one of our most reliable partners in Europe, in the Balkans, is a traditionally friendly country linked with Russia by many threads in a variety of areas, among those, of course, whom we would welcome as partners. But BRICS is always about respecting the sovereign choice, and we do not force anyone anywhere, although we are interested in continuing the dynamics of rapprochement with BRICS.

Question: With the exception of Turkey, Serbia is the only country in Europe that has such an opportunity and such close partnerships with the BRICS countries.

Ryabkov: There is no talk of admitting new members in the full sense of the word this year today. The fact is that since January 1, 2024, the BRICS association has almost doubled, and those who have just joined have not yet fully adjusted. It is not easy to combine further expansion with the effectiveness of practical work. I am not playing to lower the stakes, I am not trying to weaken interest in rapprochement with the BRICS, but simply talking about the real situation. We respect Turkey's aspirations to join the BRICS, and we are pleased that President Erdogan will come to Kazan. We will continue in-depth discussions with our Turkish colleagues and, of course, within the BRICS, on how to approach the long list of countries that have declared their desire to join the association.

Question: How do you assess the prospects of BRICS in the medium term? What vectors of development will be a priority, and – you have already said – will the number of participants expand, to what extent and in what forms?

Ryabkov: For its member countries, BRICS has already become what the Americans could call an "indispensable framework" – a platform that cannot be dispensed with. We respect the priorities of the different BRICS members. My experience as a Sherpa in BRICS has also taught me that the phrase "e pluribus unum", which is written on some notorious banknotes, fits perfectly with what is happening in this association.

In the medium term, BRICS will not become radically different from what we have now. There are discussions about the expediency – or lack thereof – of creating an international secretariat. Is it necessary to follow the path of transforming the association into a full-fledged organization based on a charter or agreement? Today, the prevailing opinion is more "no" than "yes". We live in the age of network diplomacy and must be flexible and be able to dynamically integrate into the changing international environment. But I have no doubt that BRICS will work on the economy and finance, on the humanitarian dimension and culture, on politics and security. BRICS will expand and receive a category of partner states.

Question: Is it true that a new currency will be created based on cryptocurrencies?

Ryabkov: There are various ideas, including those you have just mentioned. Since BRICS works on the basis of consensus, we can hardly expect a colossal breakthrough in this direction. This is rather an evolutionary process. There is a long way from a gradual transition to settlements in national currencies to the creation of a single BRICS currency. Are the BRICS countries – China, the UAE, Brazil, India and others – ready to say that now we have a single emission centre, a supranational bank, which will determine the base rate, and we will adapt to this? Unlikely. But it is possible, for example, to create clearing centers, offsetting opportunities.

Question: That's exactly what I meant.

Ryabkov: This is the path we will take. I believe that following the summit in Kazan, everyone will see significant progress in this area. As our Chinese friends say, "the path of ten thousand li begins with the first small step." In Kazan, I think, we will not take such a small first step.

Question: Is BRICS really independent of the external influence of large countries that are not members of it?

Ryabkov: We do not attach excessive importance to attempts to dig into some disagreements and difficulties with pleasure about what our Western adversaries are doing. We are not intimidated by this aspiration, we move strictly within the framework that the leadership sets for us. The Foreign Policy Concept of the Russian Federation also pays considerable attention to this area.

Question: Russia traditionally supports Serbia on the most important issues, such as Kosovo, as well as during the vote on the Srebrenica resolution in the UN General Assembly. In your opinion, what are the chances for a fair settlement of post-crisis situations in the Balkans in the future new geopolitical reality?

Ryabkov: We have always been and will be among those who are in the forefront of promoting understanding in the international community that Serbia and the Serbs want peace and a normal life with everyone. You must not be allowed to continue to be labeled with absolutely unacceptable labels. The idea of collective responsibility of entire peoples and entire countries must be crossed out by modern experience. The West must understand that the time of such diktat is in the past. At all venues – in the UN Security Council and General Assembly, in the OSCE – we will stand by this position. Post-conflict normalization in the Balkans would have been more successful if it had not been so hindered by Westerners who are interested in disunity, in ensuring that the Kosovo wound hurts and does not heal, in subordinating everyone to their diktat, formalizing membership in associations, from which there is no way out. This must be clearly understood. We will continue to stand guard over the interests of Serbia and the Serbian people. It is necessary to show political will and firmness in order to discuss and jointly work out the necessary solutions, and then the chances of progress and overcoming crises will become much higher.

Question: We see attacks on Serbia because of the work of the Russian media in Belgrade. What is the attitude to this in Moscow?

Ryabkov: Of course, we note that Serbia is being punished for the fact that Russian media are operating in the country. The cynical desire of Washington and Brussels to dictate their own will, devoid of any internal constraints, is off the scale in this area as well. This is a reflection of inner insecurity. If the people who make such attacks were really convinced of the power of their own arguments, their own model of social organization and conflict resolution, they would not attack the media with such fury, whose role is precisely to enable all those who are interested to get an idea of something that is different from the Western standard. I would like to note that the local editorial offices of both Sputnik and RT Balkan are successfully operating in Serbia.

Question: They are exactly what gets in the way!

Ryabkov: But demand creates supply. This is the principle that is now being denied by the group that is putting pressure on Serbia on the topic of the presence of Russian media in the country. Everything is denied. The inviolability of private property – for political reasons, you can arrest anything and take from anyone. Free access to information is denied. If these words had hit the pages of the adherents of the Western line, it would have been immediately branded as disinformation and propaganda. In the end, give those who are already fed up with reading the manuals from Brussels and Washington the opportunity to hear something different. I think that the Serbian authorities, who do not interfere with the work of the Russian media, are guarding genuine freedom of speech and respecting the rights and interests of their citizens.

Question: Relations between Russia and the United States have probably reached their lowest point over the past half century because of the Ukrainian crisis. Also, there is more and more talk about the threat of a nuclear catastrophe. Are we really approaching such a scenario?

Ryabkov: We are indeed at the lowest point in many decades, and the risk of a direct clash between Russia and the United States should not be underestimated. Unfortunately, Washington's endless attempts to test our strength in various areas continue. You understand that we are patient people. I would like to draw your attention to the fact that we do not draw any "red lines". We know how our opponents speculate on the very idea of "red lines", how they incite each other in order to push the North Atlantic Alliance into a direct conflict with Russia to please Kiev. We are aware that this is an extremely dangerous situation. Work is currently underway on amendments to the Fundamentals of the State Policy of the Russian Federation in the Field of Nuclear Deterrence. We do not hide the fact that this is being done taking into account the experience gained during the special military operation, and everything related to the unrestrained support of the Kyiv regime by its Western patrons. Classical nuclear deterrence does not work to the full extent, which means that our doctrine needs to be modified. We hope that the deterrent signal that we are putting into this work will be understood and picked up in Washington and other NATO capitals, as well as by military planners in Brussels. We do not want a major war, but we will not allow an endless encroachment on the fundamental security interests of Russia and the Russian people. [My Emphasis]

IMO, Ryabkov let the cat out of the bag:

But it is possible, for example, to create clearing centers, offsetting opportunities.

Question: That's exactly what I meant.

Ryabkov: This is the path we will take.

That’s as definite an answer one can give. Ryabkov then followed up by saying the steps being taken won’t be small but substantial.

The Serbian situation also shows Western weakness, “a reflection of inner insecurity,” in Ryabkov’s words as well as his further explanation as the West only has lies and no truth to support its POV. It cannot win the Info War on an equal basis, so it resorts to cheating as it always has since modern mass media began.

Again, Ryabkov seems to be the designated disseminator of this point, Russia has “no red lines;” they are all formulated in the West for their own purposes. However, I’ll disagree and say that Ukraine joining NATO is a red line since it directly threatens Russian security and is a fact constantly invoked as Lavrov did twice in yesterday’s interviews.

We learned one other fact today when Putin greeted Xi Jinping:

Today, after our conversation, we will meet for dinner with the leaders of the BRICS member states, for the first time in a new and expanded format. I have just finished a conversation with the President of Brazil, Mr. Lula. As you know, for medical reasons, he had to stay at home. He is very sorry that he could not come in person, but he intends to work with us in video mode tomorrow. I did tell him, however, that it would be four o'clock local time only. Somehow inhumane. But he still insists, says: no, I want to take part in person, at least via video conference. I want to convey his best wishes to you.

Interesting there was no similar call from Saudi MbS that’s been noted.

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