MOSCOW, April 11. /TASS/. The recent expansion of BRICS points to the growing authority of the association on the international stage, as it is drawing in states that seek to carry out a sovereign foreign policy course, Russian Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko said during the meeting with the heads of BRICS parliamentary committees on international affairs.

"This year, new states joined BRICS as fully-fledged members - Egypt, Iran, the UAE and Ethiopia. Undoubtedly, this is an important milestone in the history of our association. Such expansion is the best, in my view, demonstration of the strengthening and growth of BRICS’ authority in the international arena, its wide capability to affect global decision-making," the speaker said during the meeting, organized ahead of the BRICS Parliamentary forum, which will kick off in St. Petersburg on July 11.

Matviyenko noted that BRICS already makes up over one third of global GDP and almost a half of the planet’s population.

"One can safely say that, in the past 15 years, BRICS has become a paragon, I would say, an example of successful inter-state cooperation. It has developed a firm tradition of equal dialogue, with mutual respect and obligatory consideration of each other’s interests playing the key role. In our association, there is no place for domination, the desire to impose our will on others or ganging up on anyone else. This is the association’s principal philosophy. And this is exactly why it has become a center of attraction for many states that seek to carry out a sovereign foreign policy course," she said.

The Federation Council Speaker said that, during Russia’s BRICS chairmanship, the lawmakers will do everything in order to contribute to the promotion of cooperation in three key areas: politics and security, economy and finance, cultural and humanitarian relations. According to the speaker, ensuring energy and food security, increasing the BRICS’ role in the international monetary and financial system must become a top priority.

"Overall, the Russian presidency aims to take the BRICS partnership to a new, higher level. We believe that the people of our countries must be the main beneficiaries of this cooperation," Matviyenko said.

She underscored that terrorism remains a serious threat that requires collective measures. She thanked BRICS partners for their solidarity, condolences and support, expressed after the Crocus City Hall attack.

Matviyenko also expressed her concern in regards to the practice of imposing sanctions against lawmakers and creating hurdles for the full-fledged participation of parliamentary delegations in the operation of international associations.

"I would like to use this occasion to thank you for your efforts in combating this vicious practice. Sanctions against lawmakers are basically sanctions against their voters, against democracy itself. And I believe that our position that the imposition of sanctions against members of national parliaments is unacceptable should get even stronger and harsher," she said.