Johannesburg – South Africa – SANA – In the final statement of the 15th summit of the BRICS group held in South Africa, the leaders of the BRICS countries “Russia, China, India, Brazil and South Africa” affirmed the rejection of unilateral sanctions on developing countries, and stressed the importance of settling the Ukrainian crisis and cooperation to develop the global economy.
The statement, which was titled “Johannesburg II Declaration,” included proposals aimed at reaching a peaceful settlement to the crisis in Ukraine, and called for strengthening the mechanism for preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and for settling the dispute over the Iran’s nuclear program through dialogue.
It also called on countries to commit to strengthening macroeconomic coordination, deepening cooperation in the field of economics, and opposing trade barriers, including those imposed by developed countries under the pretext of combating climate change.
The statement indicated that the BRICS countries view the United Nations as the cornerstone of the international system, and the leaders of the group support the reform of the United Nations, including the Security Council, in order to make the organization more democratic and efficient.
The BRICS countries expressed support for the aspiration of Brazil, India and South Africa to play a greater role in the UN Security Council, and called for increasing the representation of developing countries in international organizations and multilateral forums.
BRICS leaders stressed the importance of the G-20 as the leading international forum, called for reforms in the World Trade Organization and Bretton Woods financial institutions, expressed concern about the use of unilateral sanctions and their negative consequences for developing countries, and supported the use of national currencies in international trade, as well as between the Group States.
The leaders affirmed their support for the African Union’s Agenda 2063, including the establishment of a continental free trade area, in addition to finding a collective solution to the International Debt Crisis, noting that the unbalanced economic recovery from the pandemic exacerbates inequality.
The BRICS countries agreed to work to increase mutual tourism flows, their commitment to strengthening agricultural cooperation to enhance food security, their full support for the Russian presidency for the year 2024 and the holding of the next summit in the Russian city of Kazan.
The BRICS leaders instructed their foreign ministers to prepare a list of potential partner countries for the upcoming summit.
At the conclusion of its summit Thursday in Johannesburg, the BRICS group announced the approval of the accession of six new countries, namely Iran, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Argentina and Ethiopia, provided that the membership of these countries begins on January 1, 2024.