A BRICS This pattern of close integration is not the European Union, but rather a group of non-Western economies coordinating their economic and diplomatic efforts. Among other things, these countries seek to constitute an alternative to current multilateral groupings, which countries of the Global South believe are controlled by the Western position (such as the World Bank, the G7, or the UN Security Council).
The BRICS countries are also seeking to limit the dominance of the US dollar in international trade, primarily by enhancing the use of their currencies, especially the Chinese renminbi. But there is also an initiative to introduce its own BRICS currency. This will be one of the negotiations starting now Main topic In addition to other forms of facilitating trade between members.
Great powers are on the move
The summit, which begins Tuesday, is scheduled to be held in the capital of Tatarstan, Kazan. the Kremlin According to his announcement, 32 countries were represented at the meeting, 24 of which were at the highest level. According to Russian President's Advisor Yuri Usakov
The BRICS summit may be the largest foreign policy event ever held in Russia.
The meeting will be in two parts:
- Coordination among member states, and its motto is “Strengthening multilateralism for equitable global development and security.”
- In addition to the broader consultation on the BRICS+ format, entitled BRICS and the Global South: Building the world's future together.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres was also invited to attend the meeting. Member countries are represented at the highest level. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva can only join via video link, as the 78-year-old politician recently suffered a head injury. suffer His doctors advised him against long travel.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been invited to join the organization but has not yet joined At the level of the Minister of Foreign Affairs Attend the summit. At the BRICS+ formula meeting, among others Vietnam He is also represented at the level of Prime Minister.
Russian President Vladimir Putin last month that He said34 countries have indicated their interest in joining the organization, so the issue of establishing a “partner country” institution in addition to regular membership will also be on the agenda. This idea is not unknown to BRICS members, because the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, for example, (of which Russia, China, India and Iran are also members) not only has regular members, but also observer members and so-called dialogue partners.
Turkey is also among the countries wishing to join – Ankara's September announcement raised a lot of dust in international politics, as Turkey is a member of NATO and has been a candidate for EU membership for twenty-five years.
Among others, Malaysia, Thailand, Nigeria, Azerbaijan, Cuba and Bolivia want to join BRICS. Regarding the institution of partner countries, presidential spokesman Yuri Usakov said that Russia has its own priorities in this matter, for example, it would consider it logical to include the CIS countries as partners, but it would also like to include Indonesia as a partner in the BRICS group.
A new world order is being built
BRICS are already a major force in the global economy: after expanding this year, 35.6 percent of global GDP GivesIn terms of GDP (purchasing power parity) calculated at purchasing power parity, it has already surpassed the G7, which has a share of 30.3 percent.
According to public data, the BRICS countries represent more than a third of the Earth's land area, 45 percent of the world's population, more than 40 percent of total oil production, and about a quarter of the world's merchandise exports.
As many media outlets have pointed out, the annual meeting of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund is held in Washington simultaneously with the BRICS summit, all of which symbolizes that the Western-centered bloc and the bloc defined by China and Russia are becoming more and more disconnected from each other.
Hong Kong one South China Morning Post In their opinion piece, they bluntly stated that the West and its institutions are fooling themselves if they believe that ignoring the voice of the Global South and maintaining the status quo will succeed in the long term. The Japanese Nikki According to his article, Russia wants to show the West that it is not isolated at all in the world and wants to build a new world order with its partners.
(Cover photo: Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses the 2023 BRICS Summit session at the Sandton Convention Center on August 24, 2023. Photo: Per Anders Petersson/Getty Images)
