HARARE, June 18. /TASS/. Zimbabwe is ready to join the progressive BRICS group, Defense Minister Oppah Muchinguri Kashiri said.

"Zimbabwe stands ready to join this progressive group which will offer an alternative conducive environment to trade freely with other nations," the Herald newspaper quoted the minister as saying. "The BRICS countries’ model is based on a unique relationship guided by the non-alignment principle, which has not only enabled breaking through ideological constraints, but has also facilitated economic growth based on mutual respect, common progress, and prosperity. Zimbabwe, like many of the other countries represented here, has strong conviction in BRICS’ potential to counterbalance Western powers’ dominance by challenging their unilateral decision-making and promoting a more balanced global landscape," she said at the "World Majority for a Multipolar World" international inter-party forum with BRICS and partner countries in Vladivostok.

According to the minister, BRICS and partner countries are creating an effective mechanism for developing relations between the countries of the global majority.

"Our commitment to international peace and security must therefore be influenced by the realization that in an interconnected world, security threats, especially emerging ones, do not respect international boundaries. Consequently, insecurity in any one part of the globe is insecurity to all of us," she pointed out.

Muchinguri Kashiri thanked Russia on behalf of Africa for its assistance in defense and security.