The foreign ministers of the member countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia and Iran) issued a joint statement at the initiative of the Indian Foreign Ministry.
“The ministers expressed their full support for Russia’s presidency of the BRICS in 2024 under the motto Strengthening Multilateralism for Equitable Global Development and Security. They expressed their willingness to work together to guarantee the success of the XVI Summit to be held in the city of Kazan, Russian Federation¨, the text states.
The statement indicates that the heads of diplomacy of the member nations reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the BRICS strategic partnership framework in three areas of cooperation: politics and security, economy and finance, and cultural and people-to-people exchanges.
They also reaffirmed their commitment to the spirit of the association based on mutual respect and understanding, equality, solidarity, openness, inclusion and consensus.
In turn, they highlighted the importance of the convergence of approaches to develop efficient and safe international transport corridors for the economic growth of the group.
Equally important, they considered “the need to secure existing international transport corridors to avoid disruptions, to supply chains and ensure the security of maritime movement in accordance with international law.”
Another of the topics addressed was the importance of a broader use of local currencies in commercial and financial transactions between the BRICS countries, as well as putting into practice the intention to develop cooperation in the energy sector, since they consider access to cheap and reliable energy as the basis of economic development.
On the other hand, the foreign ministers supported Palestine’s obtaining full member status of the United Nations and reaffirmed their commitment to the two-state solution to the Palestinian issue.
“Foreign Ministers express serious concern about the deteriorating situation in the Palestinian territories, in particular the unprecedented military escalation observed in the Gaza Strip during the Israeli military operation. In this regard, the participants in the meeting demand the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and civilians illegally held captive,” the document states.
According to the statement, the next meeting of the Brics foreign ministers will be held in parallel with the United Nations General Assembly, and will be organized by Brazil as the new president of the association in 2025.
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