18.11.20
16:21
Society
XII BRICS Summit chaired by Vladimir Putin held via videoconference
The 12th BRICS Summit took place on November 17 via videoconference. It was attended by the heads of the five countries: Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The meeting within the framework of the Russian chairmanship of BRICS in 2020 was held under the leadership of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Summit participants summed up the results of this year’s Russian chairmanship of the association, exchanged views on the cooperation within the association and its prospects, and coordinated positions on the threshold of the G20 Summit to be held on November 21-22.
The forum was also attended by: Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Nikolai Patrushev, New Development Bank President Marcos Troyjo, President of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Sergey Katyrin, VEB.RF Chairman Igor Shuvalov, Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Global Rus Trade Anna Nesterova. They presented the results of their organizations' work in the context of joint activities of the BRICS countries and shared their plans for the next year.
One of the key topics of the videoconference was the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on the BRICS economic interactions. Vladimir Putin noted the advantageous position of the five countries in the context of the pandemic in comparison with others.
“Let me remind you that five years ago, the Ufa Declaration recorded an agreement to work together to address the spread of infectious diseases, including - I want to emphasize this - new coronaviruses. As a follow-up to this agreement, BRICS countries have created an early warning system for epidemics. So, against the backdrop of COVID-19, we did have something to rely on. The BRICS members have been able to respond quickly and take specific measures against the pandemic,” the Russian President said.
Vladimir Putin stressed that Russia is ready to cooperate with BRICS partners in the production and use of Russian vaccines that have already proven their effectiveness and safety.
The Russian President praised the coordination of the BRICS countries on the current international and regional agenda and noted that the members of the Five are constantly expanding cooperation in the counter-drug and anti-corruption spheres, in the field of international information security.
The head of the People's Republic of China, Xi Jinping, in his speech emphasized the need to maintain a UN-centric system and adhere to the international law. He also stressed the importance of joint efforts in combating the coronavirus and creating conditions for economic growth after the pandemic.
Xi Jinping touched upon the topic of strengthening cooperation between the BRICS countries in the field of medicine, science and innovation.
“We need to strengthen cooperation on scientific and technological innovation to bring about common development of higher quality and stronger resilience. China will work with other parties to flesh out the BRICS Partnership on New Industrial Revolution at a faster pace. We will open in Xiamen a BRICS Partnership on New Industrial Revolution innovation center, and we welcome the active participation of fellow BRICS countries,” the China leader said.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa paid particular attention to the need in cooperation to combat the pandemic.
“Efforts to combat the pandemic are ongoing, but it will take a long time for our economies to recover. We therefore endorse the call made by the UN Secretary-General António Guterres for a New Global Deal. This includes a more inclusive and balanced multilateral trading system, the reform of debt architecture and greater access to affordable credit for developing countries,” said the head of South Africa.
Cyril Ramaphosa noted that since its founding, BRICS has stood as a testament to the power of solidarity, and in the midst of economic and social turmoil, this partnership is becoming stronger.
“We are facing severe crises and our economies, emerging economies, are key to the recovery of the international global economy. Once again, in 2020, the world has faced a very serious crisis, and the BRICS countries can play a key role in the overall efforts to counter the COVID-19 pandemic and the related crisis,” said Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.
According to him, restoration of economic growth directly depends on the cooperation of the BRICS countries in various fields. The main task is to support emergence of new businesses, and measures to facilitate trade need to be implemented by increasing the interaction of the private sectors of the five countries.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for all the initiatives in strengthening interhuman contacts taken during the Russian chairmanship of BRICS. Among the key projects, the Prime Minister of India mentioned the BRICS Festival, the Young Diplomat and Young Scientist Forum.
Next year, India will take over the chair of the BRICS. Narendra Modi told the Summit participants about the main directions of the country's activities in the new status.
“During our chairmanship of 2021, we will try to strengthen intra-BRICS cooperation in all the three pillars of BRICS. We will work to strengthen BRICS solidarity and develop a specific institutional framework for this purpose,” the Prime Minister announced.
Modi also noted the importance of reforms in the UN Security Council, the International Monetary Fund, the World Trade Organization and the World Health Organization, and also stressed the need to fight corruption and terrorism. He expressed hope to get support from BRICS partners in these issues.
Following the Summit, the BRICS leaders adopted the Moscow Declaration. It reflects the approaches of the participating countries to the prospects for the development of the association. In addition, the Strategy for BRICS Economic Partnership 2025 and the BRICS Counter-Terrorism Strategy were adopted. The documents are published on the official website of the Russian chairmanship of BRICS.
Photo: kremlin.ru