HAVANA, July 7. /TASS/. Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, who is taking part in the BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro, has described the group as a beacon of hope that multilateralism will win out in the world and save it from chaos.
"I would like to thank on behalf of my people for admitting our country to BRICS as a partner nation," he wrote on his X page, quoting his speech at the association’s summit. "Today, BRICS represents hope. The hope that multilateralism will be saved from chaos."
In his speech, the Cuban president also noted that the United Nations "badly needs the sweeping reforms countries of the global South have been demanding for half a century." According to the Cuban leader, "the arrogance of a select few nations has plunged the United Nations into chaos and inefficiency." He recalled that this international organization was set up 80 years ago not to let "warfare be an alternative to conflict settlement efforts."
In the context of pressing global conflicts, Diaz-Canel noted that BRICS member and partner countries, although very different, "are moving forward, promoting common ideals of peace, dialogue, mutual respect, cooperation, and solidarity." "The group’s commitment to building a fairer and more inclusive international order is inspiring," he stressed, adding that without this "it will be impossible to reach sustainable development."
He recalled US President Donald Trump’s recent move to toughen sanctions against Cuba and called for immediate lifting the trade and economic blockade the United States has been preserving against Cuba for more than 60 years. "No other nation has ever had to build its social and developing project amid the long, tough and systemic economic, trade, and financial blockade by the most influential power in history," he added.