PETROPAVLOVSK-KAMCHATSKY, November 16, /ITAR-TASS/. The political influence of the BRICS countries is not used against anybody, it is used for settlement of international problems, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told Russia’s Postscriptum television program on Saturday.
“The BRICS countries have united in the structure, which is free from headquarters, bureaucracy, but which manages quite well the task of offering common approaches and of working on implementation of mutually advantageous projects in finances, economic cooperation, mutual investments, exchange of experience in settlement of social problems, in education, healthcare, and establishment of cooperation between political centers,” he said.
“As this natural aspiration for using each other’s potential for the common benefit grew into practical activities,” the BRICS countries were paying additional attention to coordinating foreign policies, “as we share views on the world establishment in major issues.”
“We believe it is necessary to observe justice, respect for the international law, the central role of the United Nations, to recognize uncontested peaceful settlements of disputes or possible conflicts, we confirm it is unacceptable to interfere into home affairs of the countries or to use force, accept for the cases complying with the UN Charter,” Lavrov said.
“Those are basic norms, at what is there strange in having countries follow them? In reality, we see that not all follow them,” Lavrov said. “Quite many sovereign rights of countries are being doubted.” The foreign minister mentioned the force actions in former Yugoslavia, in Iraq and Libya, which had not complied with the UN Charter.
“The BRICS countries recognize their position in the world - all together they make the most quickly economically growing countries with the most of the world population - they have come to the common conclusion that for effective development for their own security they need most favorable international conditions, which are not emerging by themselves, but rather by focused efforts from influential countries. The BRICS countries do have the influence,” he said. For example G-20 countries, like Indonesia, Mexico, Argentina, share the BRICS’ approaches to reforms of the currency-financial system, he added.
BRICS’ position on the Syrian crisis, on the Arab Spring, Afghanistan, Iran’s nuclear problem “are supported by most countries,” Lavrov said.
However, he continued, “those are results of the natural aspiration of the states in the union to use mutual advantages in the world’s economy and finances in the interests of their own development.”
“That was not a response to the US position in the world from any country or a bloc of countries, but rather a natural process of establishment of the polycentric world, where nobody would be able to claim for hegemony,” the foreign minister said. “We see new centers of economic growth and financial might, and along with them appear political influence, which the BRICS countries have been using not to harm anybody, but surely to settle international problems.