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BRICS leaders agree on easing mutual trade — declaration

They also noted the importance of data, statistics and information for "effective decision-making"

KAZAN, October 23. /TASS/. Leaders of BRICS member states have agreed to ease trade between the countries, according to Kazan Declaration of the 16th summit of the association.

"We recognize the role of standardization tools in trade facilitation and agree to strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation in the sphere of standardization," the document reads.

"We support initiatives to enhance tax cooperation and build a more progressive, stable, and effective international tax system, promoting tax transparency and facilitating discussions on effective taxation of high net-worth individuals," the leaders of BRICS members noted.

They also noted the importance of data, statistics and information for "effective decision-making." "We express our support to enhance the statistical cooperation within BRICS, including the annual release of the BRICS Joint Statistical Publication and the BRICS Joint Statistical Publication Snapshot, as well as exchange in best practices in the areas of official statistics in the member countries of BRICS," according to the declaration.

The BRICS group was founded in 2006 by Brazil, Russia, India, and China, with South Africa joining it in 2011. On January 1, 2024, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, became its full-fledged members. 2024 is the year of Russia’s chairmanship in the integration. The 16th BRICS Summit, which is the key event of Russia’s chairmanship, is being held in Kazan on October 22-24.

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