Putin's Speech at X BRICS Parliamentary Forum

And a few extra items.

As you see, the Tenth BRICS Parliamentary Forum has doubled in size and needed to be held in a larger hall, the Tavrichesky Palace in St. Petersburg. The meeting’s topic was "BRICS, The Parliamentary Dimension: Prospects for Strengthening the Inter-Parliamentary Interaction". This reflects an ongoing process being promoted by Russia to decentralize policy orchestration, implementation and management by including the regions that’s part of the People Centered Development (PCD) process, which we’ve yet to discuss but have been watching Russia implement in practice. Parliamentary interaction is a recently implemented and ongoing process that began within the CIS, CSTO, SCO, and BRICS and has been gaining momentum and producing results. At its heart lies the idea that people-to-people relations strengthen overall ties and reduce friction between states to facilitate win-win outcomes. Yes, it’s a Xi Jinping idea as one might assume from its aims, but it’s been a postulate of PCD theory for 40+ years—and of course, it’s very commonsensical. The goal is to have a family of nations/peoples working together to promote each other’s wellbeing. And given the immense size of working agendas as exemplified by the recent Russia-India Joint Declaration, it makes sense to involve as many people as possible in the process as there’s so much work to accomplish.

Several bilateral meetings on the sidelines occurred, one of which will follow Putin’s speech, the meeting with the President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the Speaker of the National Assembly of the United Republic of Tanzania, Thulia Exxon. You aren’t alone if you’ve never heard of that Union despite its venerability as the following discloses: “The Inter-Parliamentary Union is an international non-governmental organization whose work is aimed at coordinating the actions of the world's parliaments. It was founded in 1889 and has observer status at the United Nations. The parliaments of 180 countries are members of the Union.”

Now, let’s see what Putin had to say:

Vladimir Putin: Dear Valentina Ivanovna, Dear Vyacheslav Viktorovich, Dear friends! Dear guests, I am glad to welcome all participants and organizers of the tenth anniversary BRICS Parliamentary Forum.

Our distinguished guest, the President of the Inter – Parliamentary Union, Mrs. Tulia Exxon, is also present in this hall. Dear Mrs. Exxon, we see your participation in the forum as a sign of support for the creative partnership of representatives of the legislative authorities of the countries of the Global South and the East, and in general of all countries interested in constructive interaction and cooperation, and their initiatives on topical issues on the international agenda.

The theme of this forum- "The role of parliaments in strengthening multilateralism for equitable global development and security" – is extremely important. And it speaks for itself, underscores the nature of the global, fundamental transformations that are taking place on our planet today.

And your open discussions and direct conversation between people's representatives and each other are fully in tune with the very philosophy and principles of our organization's worldview. This means taking into account each other's interests, relying on democracy in international relations, respect for sovereignty and the right to individual development. These BRICS’ principles are familiar and understandable to all participants of our association, which is rapidly growing and gaining a qualitatively new level of influence on the dynamics of events in the world.

I repeat, today the parliamentary dialogue, including within the BRICS framework, is more important than ever. After all, as representatives of the interests of your peoples, representatives of their political and national will, you are acutely aware of the true needs, moods and needs of millions, it is no exaggeration to say, and billions of people on our planet.

And I am sure that you will make a significant contribution to solving the issues of socio-economic development of the BRICS countries, to improving the well-being of our peoples. And of course, you will do everything possible to reduce international tensions and create a more just, democratic, multipolar and multilateral world order.

We are well aware that the formation of a world order that reflects the real balance of power, the new geopolitical, economic, and demographic reality, is a complex process and in many respects, unfortunately, even painful. And first of all, because the efforts of BRICS members and other developing countries are encountering fierce resistance from the ruling elites of the so-called golden billion states.

Acting contrary to historical logic and often even to the detriment of the long-term interests of their own peoples, they now seek to fix a certain order on their so-called rules, which no one has seen, no one has discussed, and no one has ever accepted. Such rules are written or adjusted each time anew – for each situation in the interests of those who consider themselves exceptional and have appropriated to themselves the right to dictate their will to others. Right in the best traditions of classical colonialism. This is a clear attempt to substitute legitimate international law, an attempt to create a monopoly on the ultimate truth, and such a monopoly is destructive.

There is growing pressure on everyone who has their own position. Contrary to the principles of international law, forceful coercion, unilateral sanctions, selective application of trade rules, and blackmail are used. We also see attempts to restrict direct contacts between legislators, which contradicts the principle of free inter-parliamentary cooperation and the sovereign right of official representatives of each state to defend its national interests. Therefore, the importance and relevance of the collective work of people's deputies on the creative agenda of our association is now multiplying.

Let me remind you that the main goal of the current Russian presidency of the association is to create the most favorable conditions for the progressive development of all its participants. I am convinced that by working together, we will be able to maximize the economic, investment, technological and human potential of our countries, strengthen the constructive influence of the BRICS on global processes, and make the world in which we live safer and much more harmonious.

Since this year, the number of members of our association has increased to ten. Each state is unique, carries an ancient culture and traditions, implements its own model of socio-economic and political development. And Russia is making every effort to ensure that the new members of the association are effectively integrated into all its multi-disciplinary mechanisms.

I have repeatedly noted that BRICS is one of the key elements of the emerging multipolar world order, which increasingly reflects the interests and aspirations of the states of the Global South, the East, and our supporters around the world, and their number is very large and constantly growing.

We are open to strengthening cooperation with all countries that express an interest in BRICS activities, we are actively engaged in a BRICS plus/outreach format, and we are working on establishing the category of "partner states".

One of the priorities of the association is to achieve positive changes in the global economy. We pay great attention to increasing the share of national currencies in trade and investment, as well as developing safe and reliable financial instruments and mutual settlement mechanisms. The establishment of humanitarian contacts also plays a special role in establishing more trusting, strong and long-term relations between States.

I would like to take this opportunity to invite you, dear colleagues and friends, to Russia, to St. Petersburg, for the tenth anniversary St. Petersburg International Cultural Forum, which will be held on September 12-14. Traditionally, this is always a meaningful and frank conversation on the most important issues of the world's cultural and humanitarian agenda, and our Northern capital, where we are now, St. Petersburg, will once again welcome guests from the countries of our association and all states that seek to cooperate with each other.

Dear friends, ladies and gentlemen, We have crossed the equator of Russia's BRICS presidency. Continuous work is underway in all areas of cooperation: politics and security, economy and finance, cultural and humanitarian ties, which I have just mentioned. Thus, a regular mechanism of cooperation in the transport sector and nuclear medicine has been launched. The BRICS Sports Games were successfully held, with athletes from 82 countries participating, and 387 sets of medals were awarded.

We are going to continue to increase the pace of work. Before the BRICS summit in October, we still have many different events planned. I repeat, openness, justice and equality are the principles that unite the BRICS countries. And the role of parliamentary forums and conferences in their establishment in world politics is truly enormous.

Yes, BRICS does not yet have its own institutionalized parliamentary structure, but I believe that this idea will definitely be implemented in the future. I am sure that your forum will contribute to this. The main thing is that such meetings have already established themselves as an example of trust, mutual support and free dialogue, and strengthen the authority of the organization itself and its influence in the world.

Let me wish you successful and fruitful work. And of course, I think that you will have time to admire St. Petersburg – it is the pride of Russia and is the undisputed heritage of all mankind.

All the best to you and thank you for your attention. Thank you very much. [My Emphasis]

As Putin described, the growth of Multipolarity in opposition to the Age of Plunder’s last vestiges continues to increase and the Global Majority has no doubt about Multipolarity’s eventually becoming the status quo. That the process is stormy is clear, but its historical objectivity is clear to most.

Now we’ll move on to the sidelines meeting with Ms. Exxon (I must admit to bemusement when I first saw her name).

President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, Speaker of the National Assembly of Tanzania Tullia Exxon.

Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko and State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin along with Putin, Ms. Exxon and an unnamed aide.

Vladimir Putin: First of all, I would like to thank you for considering it possible to attend the BRICS Parliamentary Forum. I would like to note that 400 delegates from 18 countries of the world are taking part in it, and this, of course, shows that both BRICS as a whole and the parliamentary dimension of BRICS cooperation enjoy great interest and growing confidence from the international community. This is understandable, because the principles of BRICS work-and this is really true equality and consideration of each other's interests-cannot but attract participants in international activities.

Your Union is a respected organization that has existed since the end of the 19th century. It includes a large number of States. And we welcome the fact that a representative of Africa, a developing economy, is now leading this respected international organization. I'm sure you'll find it interesting.

For our part, we count on your support for the work of the BRICS parliamentary dimension in this case, which, of course, is important and creates the basis not only for joint work in strengthening the regulatory framework between the participating states, but also creates a favorable humanitarian atmosphere for achieving the goals of common development. Once again, I would like to thank you for your participation in the BRICS parliamentarians ' meeting.

Welcome!

T. Exxon (translated): Thank you, Mr. President, for taking the time to address us at this important conference, and thank you for taking the time to have a bilateral meeting. I am very grateful for the invitation received from the chairmen of the [Federation Council and State Duma]. I am very well received, and we appreciate it.

As you said, my presence here is connected with the fact that we represent the parliamentary associations of the world, and BRICS is part of such a system. BRICS has ten member countries, ten parliaments, and some of these countries have two houses of parliament. In this way, I express solidarity with them and at the same time reflect the ideals of the IPU [Inter-Parliamentary Union], which are also in tune with the BRICS ideals. We will strive to implement them on a bilateral basis.

We discussed the relations between BRICS and the IPU, as well as the relations between the parliaments of our countries – Tanzania and Russia. With this in mind, I would like to say that the IPU is a multilateral structure. We are proud that we have existed for more than 130 years and that Russia has been a part of us for 118 years. You can imagine, such a period of time!

I would also like to express my gratitude to the IPU as a whole, because Russia has actively participated in the work of the organization since its accession. We cooperate in all areas where the IPU operates. One of the areas where we cooperate is parliamentary diplomacy.

The IPU attaches great importance to the issue of parliamentary dialogue, as more than 46,000 members of parliament participate in this dialogue. The dialogue is used to discuss issues of interest to all countries. In addition, we use the principle of respect for each other, for each person, for each member of Parliament.

If they are given the opportunity to speak out, they respect each other, and thus we create a platform where we can agree, where we can discuss issues of interest to our own countries. We, as parliamentarians, are responsible for advising our Governments and at the same time are responsible for overseeing the work of our Governments. We make recommendations and act as a supervisory authority.

In addition, we would like the IPU to give every member country, every member of Parliament the opportunity to participate in its work. In this regard, Mr. President, as the head of the IPU, I understand that there are many conflicts in the world, and I have been to such places. During this year, one of the topics that we are working on in the framework of the IPU is peace and security. I understand that Russia once helped other countries to free themselves from oppression, and African countries were part of the work that Russia did. At the moment, there are conflicts in various regions of the world. Including on our own continent, in Africa, as you know, there are challenges in various regions of Africa. As the IPU, we are working hard to create a platform where parliamentarians can discuss how to overcome these difficulties.

On the other hand, I have not yet completed my mandate, but I have already managed to travel to the Middle East, I have visited Palestine, talked with the residents of this region, traveled to various localities, visited Israel, and had the opportunity to communicate with them as well. The IPU wants parliamentarians to participate in this work. I would like the IPU, under my leadership, to also act as an advanced link.

During our bilateral conversation with the President, I have already mentioned that we hope to cooperate in areas that are currently challenging, such as what is happening between Russia and Ukraine. We will have the opportunity to discuss in more detail how we, as parliamentarians, can conduct discussions and through dialogue, the Parliament will be able to advise its government on a possible way out of the situation. We hope that such work will be carried out.

Thank you for the time you gave me, for this conversation, and I am grateful to you for the fact that there is already some intention to sit down at the table and use the dialogue as one of the tools in our parliamentary interaction.

Returning to the topic of BRICS. I look forward to working with the BRICS member countries, and now we are talking about BRICS Plus. As far as I understand, even more countries may join. And I, as a parliamentarian, will be happy to support them when necessary. All the IPU's ideals and values will apply to BRICS Plus. As soon as these countries join, I hope that we will be able to establish and strengthen both the IPU and BRICS.

Thank you, Mr. President.

Vladimir Putin: Dear Mrs. Exxon, you are absolutely right. And I have just said this in my speech to my colleagues: the work of representatives of representative bodies of government – I apologize for the tautology – is in great demand in general. And as for overcoming difficulties in the international arena, solving complex problems, it can be in demand more than ever. I mean that often the tools of parliaments are the only ones for building dialogues between those who are interested in solving certain acute issues. Therefore, we also consider your arrival here in the same way. We can now say two more words in more detail about this. [My Emphasis]

Clearly the discussion continued once the cameras retired. And as usual it would be very instructive to know what further transpired. The Kremlin also reported on two other sideline meetings, one with China and the other with Iran. The readouts from both provide the usual protocol of greetings and salutations prior to the specific dialog that is to remain private.

I’m currently on the road and missed reporting a meeting of Russia’s ministers that covered what’s been done in the aftermath of the Spring floods and the status of this year’s fire season, both of which are annual occurrences, although the floods this year were much larger and more extensive than usual meaning more attention will be applied to their prevention, which is possible. The wildfires, however, are something that aren’t preventable and are a natural occurrence that well predate the onset of climate change. The vast regions of the taiga are mostly unpopulated, but that isn’t always the case as this extract from the report details:

Since the beginning of the year, almost six thousand wildfires have been recorded on the territory of the Russian Federation on a total area of more than 3.5 million hectares. And although compared to last year's figures, there is a decrease in their number by 30 percent, the area covered by fire, on the contrary, has increased by one and a half times.

According to Avialesookhrana, today there are more than 500 forest fires on an area of more than one million hectares throughout the country. Of these, only 62 are localized, that is, only 12 percent. At the same time, 15 forest fires are active near populated areas.

By the decision of the government commission, the situation in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) and the Trans-Baikal Territory is classified as an emergency in federal forests. The forecast remains unfavorable, dry hot weather has been established in a number of regions, and a high class of fire danger remains.

The forces and means of the EMERCOM of Russia ensure the protection of settlements from the passage of fire. In the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) and the Trans-Baikal Territory, one Be-200 aircraft and two Mi-8 helicopters were deployed in advance and are now actively operating. In total, more than six thousand people, 700 pieces of equipment and 50 aircraft are involved in extinguishing forest fires.

Since I’m from the wildfire-prone part of the USA, I understand how these naturally occur, but I must say Russia’s efforts to manage and control them is far superior to what is done here. We just had a very extensive heat wave more onward from Oregon, but when I transited through Las Vegas yesterday it was 117F. There’s a location in Death Valley called Furnace Wells that easily described how it felt moving from the plane to the terminal through the jetway.

As for the mutual involvement of national and regional legislatures in the development process, we are just seeing it beginning. For all involved, it will be a learning process since it’s a new way of organizing and communicating, particularly for those nations with very limited legislatures such as Saudi Arabia and UAE. I found the IPU’s website has an informational page about its members readers might want to look at to see what exists in those and other nations thought to be authoritarian.

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