NIZHNY NOVGOROD, June 11. /TASS/. Belarus calls on the BRICS countries and their partners to join forces in fighting illegal Western sanctions, Belarusian Foreign Minister Sergey Aleinik said.

"The BRICS countries, their friends, and partners represent an impressive global majority and have every prospect of becoming a new powerful economic force. BRICS has enormous potential. We need to unite our efforts against the fragmentation of the international trade system, against the rise of protectionism, and the introduction of illegal unilateral coercive measures," he said.

The minister stressed the importance of developing mutual settlement mechanisms and interbank cooperation to reduce risks. "We support the idea of expanding the use of national currencies. We also fully share the goals of the BRICS New Development Bank - to use resources for the implementation of infrastructure projects and for sustainable development," he said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said earlier on Tuesday that participants in the BRICS ministerial meeting condemned the United States and its allies using the practice of protectionism in international trade. "Most of the delegations stressed the destructive nature of the egoistic policy of trade protectionism, which is pursued by the United States and its allies," he said.