New Delhi: In a meeting held in South Africa on Thursday, foreign ministers from the BRICS group, consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, emphasized the need for a “rebalancing” of the world order. The talks centred on the idea that the global landscape is evolving and requires new approaches to address emerging challenges.
Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar, in his opening remarks, stressed the importance of conveying a powerful message that the world is becoming multipolar and that outdated approaches are inadequate for addressing current situations. He emphasized that the BRICS group symbolizes change and must act accordingly.
Discussions among the top envoys from the BRICS nations revolved around various topics, including the potential use of alternative currencies for international trade and strengthening the New Development Bank, which is an initiative of the BRICS group.
Reforming global decision-making processes was also on the agenda, with South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor highlighting the need for permanent African representation in the United Nations Security Council.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov revealed that more than a dozen countries had expressed interest in joining the BRICS group. Possible expansion could include oil-producing nations such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates. The issue of enlargement was discussed with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan, who was present at the talks in Cape Town.
The discussions took place ahead of an upcoming summit scheduled for August in Johannesburg, to which Russian President Vladimir Putin has been invited. Notably, South Africa, a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC), has an arrest warrant against Putin issued by the ICC. South African Foreign Minister Pandor reiterated that the Russian leader was invited to attend the summit, adding that the government was considering its legal options regarding the ICC’s warrant.
While Putin has not confirmed his participation, the Kremlin stated that Russia would engage “at the proper level” during the summit.
Comments