Expanding Russia's influence through the BRICS group meeting

2024-10-24 17:45:43, Kosova & Bota CNA

Russian President Vladimir Putin presided over the closing session of the high-level meeting of the BRICS group of developing economies on Thursday, hailing the role of the organization as a counterweight to the West.

The three-day high-level meeting in the city of Kazan focused on the deepening of financial cooperation, including the development of alternatives to Western-dominated payment systems, as well as the resolution of regional conflicts and the expansion of the BRICS group of countries.

The alliance that initially included Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa has expanded to include Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Turkey, Azerbaijan and Malaysia have officially applied and several other countries have expressed interest in joining.

Speaking during Thursday's session, which included countries that could join the organization, Russian President Putin said they all "share similar aspirations and values ??and the vision of a new global democratic order."

The high-level meeting was attended by 36 countries, in an event aimed at highlighting the failure of US-led efforts to isolate Russia over its actions in Ukraine. The Kremlin described the high-level meeting as "the largest foreign policy event ever held" by Russia.

Russia has specifically pushed for a new payments system that would provide an alternative to the SWIFT global banking messaging network and allow Moscow to evade Western sanctions and trade with partners.

In a joint statement released on Wednesday, the participants of the high-level meeting expressed concern about the "damaging effect of illegal and unilateral austerity measures, including illegal sanctions" and reiterated their commitment to increase financial cooperation within the BRICS grouping . They noted the advantage of "faster, lower-cost, more efficient, transparent, secure and comprehensive cross-border payment instruments, built on the principle of minimizing trade barriers and non-discriminatory approach".

The President of China Xi Jinping has emphasized the role of this organization in guaranteeing global security. President Xi noted that China and Brazil have presented a peace plan for Ukraine and sought to build wider international support for it. Ukraine has rejected the proposal.

Presidents Putin and Xi declared a "borderless" partnership weeks before Russia invades Ukraine in 2022. They have already met twice earlier this year, in Beijing in May and at a high-level meeting of the Organization of Shanghai Cooperation in Kazakhstan in July.

Russia's cooperation with India has also progressed, as New Delhi sees Moscow as a proven partner since the Cold War, despite Russia's close ties to India's arch-rival China. As Western allies demand that India do more to persuade Moscow to end the fighting in Ukraine, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has avoided criticism of Russia and emphasized the possibility of a peaceful solution.

President Putin, who held a series of bilateral meetings in the framework of the high-level summit, was due to meet on Thursday with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who is making his first visit to Russia in nearly two years. Mr. Guterres' visit to Kazan, Russia, has caused an angry reaction from Kiev./ VOA