KAZAN, October 24. /TASS/. Uzbekistan shares the BRICS countries’ drive to cooperate for overcoming global inequality, social and environmental challenges, the republic’s president Shavkat Mirziyoyev said.

"We share the fundamental commitment of BRICS countries to developing cooperation for solving the issues of deepening global inequality and inclusive economic recovery, with the focus mainly on support of developing states’ national programs aimed at overcoming pressing social and environmental challenges, reducing poverty, narrowing the technological gap and upgrade of infrastructure," he said at a meeting of the BRICS Plus/Outreach meeting within the BRICS summit in Kazan.

The fragmentation of global economy and trade is underway, inequality, the technological gap and protectionism are intensifying, new barriers are emerging between the countries, the president noted.

"In this environment BRICS, acting on conditions of such principles as equality, non-alignment, consideration of each other’s interests, regard for sovereignty and rights for own development path, acts as a respected and agile integration of multisided cooperation and partnership. We are convinced that such a pattern of cooperation may become a firm basis for creation of new architecture of a fairer global order with the UN’s central role maintained," he stressed.

The 16th BRICS Summit, which is the key event of Russia’s chairmanship in the association, is being held in Kazan on October 22-24. On the second day of the summit its participants passed the Kazan declaration. Among the main themes of the document are development of the association, the position on global problems, settlement of regional crises, including in Ukraine and the Middle East.

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. The Kazan summit is the first attended by the new members of the integration.