Russian president Vladimir Putin says BRICS+ could create its own parliament in the future. He made these comments during the 10th BRICS Parliamentary Forum in St. Petersburg, held on the 11th and 12th of July 2024. During the forum, Putin held separate meetings with Zhao Leji, head of the Chinese parliament and Tulia Ackson, head of the Tanzanian parliament.
These meetings were held alongside discussions regarding the expanding role and influence of BRICS+. He emphasized the significance of regular meetings among lawmakers from BRICS+ countries as a crucial step towards obtaining a parliamentary structure. He noted, “BRICS does not yet have its own parliamentary institution; however, I believe that the idea will be implemented in the future. Your forum I am sure will contribute to this.”
Putin commended lawmakers for their endeavours to strengthen ties among BRICS+ members and tackle socio-economic development challenges. He highlighted their significant role in fostering a fair, democratic, multipolar and multilateral world order aimed at improving the well-being of nations and reducing international tensions.
He also said, “The emergence of a world order reflecting the real balance of power and the new geopolitical, economic, and demographic reality is a complex process, often painful. This is primarily due to fierce resistance from the ruling elites of the so-called ‘golden billion’ states.”
Putin highlighted the challenges faced by those with independent positions, acknowledging that international law is often disregarded through coercive tactics like blackmail, unilateral sanctions and selective trade rules enforcement.
Putin said that BRICS+ is committed to prioritising positive change in the economy. These priorities include the use of national currencies in trade and investment transactions and advancing the development of secure and dependable financial instruments for mutual settlements among member countries. These efforts are aimed at enhancing economic cooperation and stability within the BRICS+ framework.
The Russian president spoke about the increased participation in this year’s event and expressed his country’s commitment as the current chair of BRICS+, to increase efforts towards effective integration of new members that joined earlier this year. BRICS was initially formed in 2009 with Brazil, Russia, India and China. South Africa later joined in 2010 forming BRICS. Six countries have been added since last December, however BRICS has chosen to keep the name as it is.
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