BEIJING, October 22. /TASS/. Moscow and Beijing are equally interested in boosting cooperation within BRICS, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said.
"As for further cooperation within BRICS, Russia and China are looking in the same direction. We are determined to continue working consistently with Beijing to strengthen the group’s authority as one of the core mechanisms of global governance. Increasing the role of developing countries and emerging markets in global governance institutions is one of the key goals. We unanimously believe that like-minded developing countries need to be engaged in this work, particularly on the BRICS Plus/Outreach platform," the senior Russian diplomat said in an interview with China’s Xinhua news agency ahead of the BRICS group’s summit in the Russian city of Kazan.
Ryabkov explained that since the countries of the Global South and East were showing a growing interest in strengthening ties with BRICS, Moscow had declared expanding relations with developing nations as one of the priorities of Russia’s chairmanship. "The group’s doors remain open to all who are interested in a trust-based and equal dialogue and share BRICS values," he noted.
The 16th BRICS summit, the key event of Russia’s chairmanship of the group, is taking place in Kazan on October 22-24. The group has expanded twice since being created in 2006. South Africa joined the four founding nations - Brazil, Russia, India and China - in 2011. Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates became full-fledged BRICS members on January 1, 2024. The Kazan Summit is the first one for the group’s new member states. More than 30 countries are expected to participate in the event. The foreign leaders visiting Kazan will particularly include Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Laotian President Thongloun Sisoulith.