XIAMEN/China/, September 5. /TASS/. Politics must not be linked to the assistance in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals approved in 2015 at the United Nations General Assembly, Russian President Vladimir Putin told the meeting of BRICS leaders with heads of states invited for joint work at the summit.

Among the guests attending the Xiamen summit of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) are the presidents of Mexico, Guinea, Tajikistan, Egypt and Thailand’s prime minister.

"I would like to outline Russia’s principled position - the assistance in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals must not be linked to any political demands and conditions, otherwise this will harm fulfilling the key tasks: eradicating poverty and eliminating serious disproportions in the development between regions and states," Putin said.

The president stressed that Russia works hard in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, cooperates with international organizations under the UN auspices and jointly implements projects aimed at ensuring food security, modernizing industrial and transport infrastructure and solving economic problems.

Last year, Russia allocated $1.169 bln for supporting the development goals, he said. Under the initiative regarding poor countries with big debts, Russia wrote off more than $20 bln debts of African states. "We back the fund of the World Food Program," Putin said.