The 11th BRICS Summit, held in Brasilia on 13-14 November, 2019, under the theme “BRICS: economic growth for an innovative future”, summed up the Brazilian Chairmanship of the Association. Its outcome proves that the dynamics of partnership development within the “Five” in three key areas − political, economic and humanitarian − has been maintained.
The Brasilia Declaration reaffirmed the unchanging basic guidelines of the BRICS activities − upholding the central role of the UN and international law in global affairs, the goals and principles of the UN Charter; the commitment to multilateralism, the establishment of a more fair, just, equitable and representative multipolar world order.
The “Five” strongly spoke out in favor of the sovereign equality of states and non-interference in their internal affairs. They unanimously condemned imposition of coercive measures not based on international law, and stressed the importance for all WTO members to avoid protectionist and unilateral actions which are contrary to the spirit and rules of the trade organization.
The Declaration also focuses on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Climate Agreement. The importance of strengthening the multilateral system in need of reform, including the UN, WTO and IMF, was noted.
The Summit demonstrated the unity or closeness of the positions of the BRICS participants on the ways of resolution of many modern crises − the Palestinian-Israeli (based on the model of coexistence of the two states), in Libya, Sudan, Afghanistan, Yemen, and on the Korean Peninsula. The role of Russia in the settlement of the Syrian conflict, the Astana process, as well as the Sochi Memorandum between Russia and Turkey of 22 October, 2019, were highlighted. The efforts of the African Union and subregional organizations to stabilize the continent were supported.
The Leaders of the five countries noted the good pace of BRICS interaction during the Brazilian Chairmanship. During the year, 116 events were held, including two summits (the main one and “on the sidelines” of the G20 meeting), two sessions of the Council of Foreign Ministers, a meeting of High Representatives responsible for security issues, and all key ministerial meetings.
Most of the Chairmanship’s initiatives were on the economic track. They have been successfully implemented on the whole. The Memorandum of Understanding was concluded between the BRICS agencies responsible for trade and investment development. The new architecture of BRICS in the field of science, technology and innovation and the main parameters of the BRICS Institute of Future Networks have been approved. The iBRICS Network connecting high-tech companies, science parks and technological business incubators of the five countries has been created.
The Leaders highly appreciated the activities of the flagship financial institutions of the “Five” − the New Development Bank (NDB) and the Contingent Reserve Arrangement. The work continued on the creation of a BRICS Local Currency Bond Fund. To date, the NDB has approved 42 investment projects totalling over US$ 11.6 billion.
The process of opening regional branches of the Bank is actively moving forward. The Leaders of the member countries have outlined the prospects for future expansion of the NDB. They have tasked the Bank to increase operations in national currencies. A similar topic is also being discussed between the central banks of the five countries.
Progress was noted in the negotiation on the Agreement on Cooperation on BRICS Remote Sensing Satellite Constellation, in the functioning of the partnership within the “Five” in the sphere of the New Industrial Revolution, in the field of customs cooperation and healthcare.
The practical work of the BRICS Energy Research Cooperation Platform has been launched (its Terms of Reference have been approved). At the Summit, the leaders approved the establishment of the Women Business Alliance of the “Five”, the activities of which are to be launched next year. The Declaration contains a rather extensive section on the international information security, including a proposal to develop an intergovernmental agreement between the BRICS countries on this issue.
During the plenary session of the Summit, President Vladimir Putin outlined the priorities of the Russian Chairmanship of the BRICS in 2020 under the theme “BRICS partnership for global stability, common security and innovative growth”. He emphasized the spirit of ensuring the progressive development and continuity in the joint work of the “Five”. Promotion of higher standards of living and quality of life of the peoples of the member countries will remain the main objective of the development of multi-faceted cooperation within the BRICS, inclusively in 2020.
The President spoke out for a more active and continuous promotion by the Association of a positive international agenda, uniting like-minded people around itself to jointly address key global and regional issues.
Another priority is the development of international standards for preventing terrorism and countering the spread of terrorist ideology, including on the Internet. (This is a press release sent to The Ethiopian Herald by Press Service of the Embassy of the Russian Federation)
The Ethiopian Herald, November 28/2019
BY RUSSIAN EMBASSY
