JOHANNESBURG /South Africa/, August 24. /TASS/. BRICS member states condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and intend to continue deepening counter-terrorism cooperation, according to the Johannesburg II Declaration adopted at the 15th BRICS Summit in South Africa.

"We are committed to combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including the cross-border movement of terrorists, and terrorism financing networks and safe havens. We reiterate that terrorism should not be associated with any religion, nationality, civilization or ethnic group. We reaffirm our unwavering commitment to contribute further to the global efforts of preventing and countering the threat of terrorism on the basis of respect for international law," the document reads.

BRICS members reject double standards in countering terrorism and extremism conducive to terrorism, as well as call "for an expeditious finalization and adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism within the UN framework and for launching multilateral negotiations on an international convention for the suppression of acts of chemical and biological terrorism, at the Conference of Disarmament," according to the declaration.

"We welcome the activities of the BRICS Counter-Terrorism Working Group and its five Subgroups based upon the BRICS Counter-Terrorism Strategy and the BRICS Counter-Terrorism Action Plan. We look forward to further deepening counter-terrorism cooperation," BRICS leaders stressed.

The summit of BRICS members took place in Johannesburg under South Africa’s chairmanship from August 22 to 24. According to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, the Argentine Republic, the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates will become full members of the integration, with membership to take effect from January 1, 2024.