“Russia has taken over the BRICS chairmanship as of January 1, following the decision made during the 15th BRICS Summit in August 2022, expanding the association to include 10 countries,” President Putin remarked on Monday.
Among these ten countries are Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, signifying the association’s increasing influence and role in global affairs.
BRICS continues to attract a growing number of supporters and like-minded nations that share fundamental principles such as sovereign equality, respect for diverse developmental paths, mutual consideration of interests, openness, consensus-building, the pursuit of a multipolar global order, a fair global financial and trade system, and collective solutions to major global challenges, stated Putin.
“We are committed to integrating new participants harmoniously into all aspects of our activities, maintaining our traditions while drawing on the association’s accumulated experience,” Putin added.
Putin emphasized Russia’s intention to explore the inclusion of a new category of partner countries within BRICS. “We are considering the potential inclusion of about 30 other countries, to varying degrees, in the multidimensional BRICS agenda. Hence, we are commencing the groundwork for a new category of BRICS partner countries,” he explained.
Overall, Russia pledges to advance the BRICS partnership across three key domains: political and security cooperation, economic and financial spheres, and cultural and humanitarian exchanges.
Furthermore, Putin underscored Russia’s commitment to strengthening foreign policy coordination among member nations to collectively address international and regional security threats and challenges.
“We are dedicated to implementing the Strategy for BRICS Economic Partnership 2025 and the Action Plan for BRICS Innovation Cooperation 2021-2024. This includes ensuring energy and food security, bolstering BRICS’ role in the global monetary system, expanding interbank collaboration, and increasing the use of national currencies in mutual trade,” he emphasized.
Russia’s focal points encompass collaboration in science, advanced technology, healthcare, environmental conservation, culture, sports, youth exchanges, and civil society. Additionally, over 200 events of diverse natures and scales are scheduled across various Russian cities throughout the chairmanship.
