Lavrov speaks to media at BRICS summit: As it happened

The Russian foreign minister has spoken to reporters at the BRICS summit in Brazil

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has held a press conference at the 17th annual BRICS summit. The two-day event kicked off on Sunday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which currently holds the group’s rotating presidency.

This year, the summit focuses on multilateral cooperation, as well as global development and governance issues. Speaking during the second session of the summit earlier on Monday, Lavrov said the group has been striving for “a more stable global economic architecture that is built on the principles of universality, transparency, and non-discrimination.” 

The top Russian diplomat also called for a fundamental reform of international institutions, arguing that many have long since degraded into neo-colonial tools of control. The emerging multipolar world is “not a choice but rather an objective reality,” he stated, adding that the new model is set to succeed “the outdated neo-liberal model that actually builds on neo-colonial practices” dominated by “the so-called developed states of the West.” 

BRICS was founded primarily as a trade and development group in 2006 by Brazil, Russia, India, and China, with South Africa joining in 2010. Over the past year, the group has extended full membership to Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates, and Indonesia, as well as welcoming ten partner states. 

This year’s summit brings together around 4,000 participants from 37 nations, including senior dignitaries from member states, partner countries, and international institutions.

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