The recent BRICS Summit in Kazan, held last month, was a significant international event, according to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
The summit demonstrated the ineffectiveness of Western attempts to isolate Russia and highlighted the dissatisfaction of many countries with the United States’ use of sanctions.
Delegates from 35 countries across Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and Latin America, along with representatives from the UN and other international organizations, attended the summit in Kazan. This marked the first summit since the expansion of the BRICS group earlier this year, which welcomed Egypt, Iran, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates as new members, joining the existing members: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
“The 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan was, without exaggeration, one of the most significant international events not only this year, but in recent times,” Lavrov stated on Tuesday in an interview with Rossiya Segodnya news agency.
According to Lavrov, the summit was characterized by an atmosphere of “friendship, openness and mutual respect.” When asked about the summit’s outcomes and the group’s future plans, Lavrov emphasized that these were clearly outlined in the Kazan Declaration, which was adopted during the event.
“Among other things, it clearly sets out the commitment of the participating countries to promote positive changes in the global economy and politics with the aim of creating a more just and balanced world order, reform global governance institutions and effectively address global issues,” he said.
Lavrov also drew attention to sections of the declaration that focused on adapting the global financial system to “modern realities,” while increasing the role of developing countries and encouraging closer interbank cooperation.
This includes enhancing the use of national currencies in mutual settlements and establishing independent payment platforms and insurance mechanisms within BRICS, he explained.
Lavrov predicted that these steps will ultimately lead to the development of a payment instrument that is “not subject to external risks,” citing “increased interest” in such a plan from non-Western states.
The Russian minister further noted that during the extended Outreach/BRICS Plus format session, delegations from countries of the Global South “openly expressed indignation at the US authorities’ increasingly strong line in recent years on using the dollar as an instrument for waging sanction wars against those states whose policies, for one reason or another, the Americans did not like.”
Regarding BRICS’ new ‘partner country’ status, Lavrov confirmed that the criteria were established in Kazan, and work is currently underway on this matter, with anticipated results before the end of the year.