#BRICS2024

🎙 Opening remarks by Russia's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Russia's Sherpa in BRICS Sergey Ryabkov at the BRICS Sherpas/Sous Sherpas Meeting in Yekaterinburg, Russia (November 27, 2024)

Key talking points:

• Let me particularly welcome the two new BRICS Sous Sherpas — esteemed Ms. Paula Barboza from Brazil and Ms. Lemlem Fiseha Minale from Ethiopia. I think we will benefit from their great experience and great capabilities they showed on their previous assignments.

• In BRICS, we work in a very close, pro-active and constructive manner. This is the last Sherpas/Sous Sherpas Meeting under the Russian Chairmanship. This year we have achieved great results together. There has been significant progress on all three pillars of our cooperation: policy and security, economy and finance, humanitarian and people-to-people contacts.

• We have some solid deliverables. In particular, the agreement to establish BRICS Grain Exchange, the Contact Group on Climate Change and Sustainable Development, the Working Group on Nuclear Medicine. A transport dialogue was launched.

• We have important developments on the finance track — particularly, on establishing independent and sustainable payment mechanisms with specific focus on the use of national currencies. A milestone achievement is the BRICS Partner Category.

• Amid increasing tensions in international relations, worsening long-standing political and economic problems, growing danger of new challenges and threats, BRICS stood strong and focused, its fortitude has been ever more strengthened with the expansion — this was clearly manifested at the XVI Summit in Kazan, in particular, at the BRICS Plus/Outreach session. This confirmed that BRICS is now perceived as a driving force of global transformation for a more just and multipolar world order based on respect for legitimate interests and sovereign choice of countries and peoples, respect for international law.

👉 The Kazan Declaration turned out to be very complex and forward-looking document. It lays a long-term foundation of the development of cooperation between our countries in expanded BRICS.

• I would like to thank you, dear colleagues, for your constructive approach, assistance and support to the Russian Chairmanship. We are greatful for the attention to the initiatives and proposals of the Chair, aimed at deepening and diversifying the cooperation in the BRICS format.