ST. PETERSBURG, July 11. /TASS/. Trust and interest in the parliamentary dimension of BRICS cooperation is growing in the world, the principles of the organization’s work attract participants in international activities, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), Speaker of the National Assembly of Tanzania Tulia Akson.
"I would like to note that 400 delegates from 18 countries of the world are taking part in it [the BRICS Parliamentary Forum], and this certainly indicates that both BRICS as a whole and the parliamentary dimension of BRICS cooperation enjoy great interest and increasing confidence from the international community. This is understandable, because the principles of the BRICS work - and this is truly true equality and consideration of each other’s interests - cannot but attract participants in international activities," the Russian President said.
The Russian leader noted that the Inter-Parliamentary Union is a respected organization in the world, adding that Moscow welcomes the fact that the IPU is headed by a representative of Africa.
"For our part, we count on your support for the work in this case of the BRICS parliamentary dimension, which, of course, is important and creates the basis not only for joint work in strengthening the regulatory framework between the participating states, but also creates a favorable humanitarian atmosphere for achieving common development goals, " Putin said.
The 10th BRICS Parliamentary Forum is taking place on July 11-12 at the Tavrichesky Palace in St. Petersburg. Russia took the baton as BRICS chair on January 1. Currently, the group comprises ten countries. Since its founding in 2006, BRICS has gone through two waves of expansion. In 2011, South Africa joined the original membership, which included Brazil, Russia, India and China. In August 2023, six new members, including Argentina, were invited to join the association at once, but in late December it declined to join. The five new members of the association - Egypt, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia and Saudi Arabia began to fully operate in BRICS on January 1, 2024.