MOSCOW, February 11. /TASS/. The member states of BRICS never direct their joint efforts against anyone, but amid a fundamental reformatting of the association, they are discussing how to shield themselves from Western discrimination and establish supply chains free from the whims and caprices of their Western counterparts, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in the State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament.
The foreign minister noted that EU countries, now "lamenting" over high energy prices, had sought to create difficulties for others but instead found themselves in a difficult situation. "But BRICS is not working against anyone," he said. "It is discussing how to shield itself from Western sanctions and discrimination, how to build mutual energy supply chains free from the whims and caprices of our Western colleagues," Lavrov added.
The top diplomat said Russia fully recognizes the need to develop supply chains, routes, and related infrastructure. "A cross-border railway route for container cargo has already been tested through the state-owned Russian Railways company within the BRICS Business Council," he noted. "The BRICS Energy Research Platform [a joint initiative designed to strengthen energy security], established earlier, remains operational. And we have no doubt that this year will bring additional tangible results in this area. However, this requires a substantial effort to reformat the entire energy framework of the BRICS countries," Lavrov concluded.