Russian President Vladimir Putin said the BRICS grouping of countries was on course to meet the aspirations of most of the world’s population, according to recorded remarks at a summit of the BRICS countries in South Africa on Tuesday (Aug 22).
“We cooperate on the principles of equality, partnership support, respect for each other’s interests, and this is the essence of the future-oriented strategic course of our association, a course that meets the aspirations of the main part of the world community, the so-called global majority,” Putin said.
The BRICS members – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – represent more than 40 per cent of the world’s population and the summit is expected to discuss adding new members, but he did not address that question in his remarks.
Putin was unable to attend the summit in person because of an arrest warrant issued for him in March by the International Criminal Court (ICC), accusing him of war crimes in Ukraine.
Russia rejected the accusation as outrageous and said the move had no legal meaning because it is not a member of the ICC. South Africa is a member, however, meaning it would have been obliged to arrest him if he had travelled there.
Putin said the summit would discuss in detail the question of switching trade between member countries away from the US dollar and into national currencies, a process in which the BRICS’ New Development Bank would play a big role.
“The objective, irreversible process of de-dollarization of our economic ties is gaining momentum,” he said.
