Photo: kremlin.ru
On 1 January, Russia took over the baton of the BRICS presidency, which now includes 10 countries, according to the decision of the XV BRICS Summit approved last August. Egypt, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Ethiopia have joined BRICS as new full members. This is a clear indication of the growing authority of this association and its role in world affairs.
BRICS is gaining more and more supporters and like-minded states that share the principles on which it is based. These are sovereign equality, respect for the choice of one's own path of development, mutual consideration of interests, openness, consensus, the pursuit of a multipolar world order and a fair model of the global financial and trading system, and the search for collective solutions to the most pressing problems of our time.
Under the slogan "Strengthening multilateralism for equitable global development and security", the Russian BRICS presidency in 2024 will act in this spirit and focus on positive and constructive cooperation with all interested states.
We will take all possible steps to contribute to the harmonious integration of new participants in all formats of the association's activities, while preserving traditions and guided by the experience accumulated in previous years.
And of course we will take into account the readiness of many other countries, about three dozen of them, to join in one form or another the BRICS and its multilateral agenda. To this end, we will actively work on the modalities of a new category of BRICS partner states.
In general, Russia will continue its efforts to promote the full range of BRICS partnership cooperation in three key areas: politics and security, economics and finance, and cultural and humanitarian contacts.
We will of course place particular emphasis on strengthening the coordination of Member States' foreign policies and jointly seeking effective responses to challenges and threats to international and regional security and stability. We will contribute to the practical implementation of the BRICS Economic Partnership Strategy 2025 and the Innovative Cooperation Action Plan 2021-2024, ensure energy and food security, strengthen the role of BRICS in the international monetary and financial system, develop interbank cooperation and expand the use of national currencies in mutual trade.
Priorities include further support for cooperation in science, high technology, health, environment, culture, sport, youth exchanges and civil society.
In total, more than 200 events of different levels and focus are planned to take place in many Russian cities as part of the Presidency. We invite representatives of all countries that want to cooperate with our organization to participate in them. And of course, the highlight of our Presidency will be the Unification Summit to be held in Kazan in October.
Having assumed the presidency, Russia looks forward to fruitful cooperation with all countries involved in the BRICS orbit.
kremlin.ru/RoZ_07
http://kremlin.ru/events/president/news/73202
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