Sergey Lavrov Reviews Debate at Conclusions of July 6-7 BRICS Summit

July 11—In a wide-ranging press conference in Rio de Janeiro July 7, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov touched on key aspects of the discussions, decision-making and consensus reached during the just-concluded BRICS summit. In an apt reply to the “analysis” offered July 8 by the British Crown’s Chatham House, Lavrov emphasized that like-minded BRICS partners agreed that it’s impossible to address many contemporary issues “without heeding the positions of the Global South and East countries or the Global Majority.” As Russian President Vladimir Putin said in his video address to the plenary session, the old dying system “primarily catered to the interests of the Golden Billion.’” Now, it’s the principles promoted by BRICS that are being prioritized “as a foundation of a truly multilateral, equitable and mutually beneficial cooperation between all countries.”

Thus, the coinciding positions on key international issues expressed in the plenary session led to the commitment to creating a more equitable, stable and polycentric world order, based on the principles of the UN Charter. Contrast this to the approach of our “Western colleagues,” Lavrov suggested. When undertaking another venture on the international stage, they “randomly choose provisions that suit them best at the moment and use them to justify their actions.” But the application of the principles of the Charter is what is called for, just as they were written by the UN’s founders (which included Eleanor Roosevelt).

He reviewed the discussion on Israeli and U.S. strikes on Iran, the call to cease aggression both against Iran, and in the Gaza Strip, and the expectation that Israel’s military intends to pursue similar actions, not only against Gaza, but also in the West Bank. Because this jeopardizes the prospects of establishing a State of Palestine, all BRICS states supported the UN resolutions on a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The Russian Foreign Minister was also heartened by the understanding that many BRICS participants demonstrated, regarding the root causes of the Ukraine-Russia conflict, and the security threats to which Russia had been subjected by NATO’s eastward expansion along its borders.

Notable was Lavrov’s reference to the discussion of governance reform, and the weight of the Global Majority in the world economy. The discussion emphasized that in the reforms, the IMF would have to discontinue certain practices within the World Bank group—for example, the financing of Western-aligned proxy regimes, so evident in the case of Ukraine. In recent years, he pointed out, the funding allocated through the Bretton Woods institutions to Ukraine has far surpassed the total financial assistance provided to all African countries combined. This, he said, “is a disgraceful tactic for both the IMF and the World Bank.”