MOSCOW, April 10. /ITAR-TASS/. Criticism of the BRICS group (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) as a weak organization that is running the risk of turning into a military political bloc has absolutely no grounds, Russian Foreign Ministry’s Ambassador at-Large Vadim Lukov said on Thursday.
“We often hear that the BRICS countries have different interests, so this organization will have a short life,” he said at a forum of BRICS young leaders at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations. “But relations within the BRICS are built on four basic principles - the countries’ common interest in reforms of the currency and finance system, their commitment to international law, their commitment to economic cooperation to spur economic growth, and the acute need in modernization. And a system that relies on four pillars is very stable.”
He said he did not share the opinion that the BRICS countries were facing difficulties in their economic development. “Growth rates have decreased indeed,” he admitted. “But, nonetheless, the average aggregated growth rates in the BRICS countries will be 4.2% this year, while the financial system of the Group of Seven will demonstrate an average aggregate growth of a mere 1.2%.”
“Another argument we hear is that the BRICS might turn into a military political bloc,” Lukov went on to say. “The fact that the BRICS countries have stood up for Russia after the Western counties imposed sanctions against it over the situation in Ukraine is a noble political position. Russia appreciates this position and we are thankful to our partners for it.