Putin: ‘The goal of BRICS is to create a favourable atmosphere in the common home’

Reforms are needed for the UN Security Council to reflect the modern world

On the third day of the BRICS Summit, a plenary session of the summit in the BRICS+/Outreach format was held. It was attended by representatives of the CIS, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America as well as international organisations, including UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. He read his report last.

“Mr Secretary General said that we should live as one big family. Esteemed SecretaryGeneral, that is how we live. Unfortunately, in families there are disagreements, scandals, division of property and sometimes it even comes to blows. The goal of BRICS is to create the necessary mechanisms for interaction and create a favourable atmosphere in the common home,” Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed Guterres after his speech with these words.

The UN Secretary General acknowledged that developing countries are underrepresented in global politics today:

We must strengthen and update the peace mechanism. This includes reforms aimed at ensuring that the UN Security Council reflects the modern world, he said.

The need to update this structure was repeatedly discussed at the meeting. It is symbolic that it was held on UN Day: the Charter of the organisation was adopted on 24 October 1945. Putin called for the inclusion of countries from Asia, Africa and Latin America in the UN Security Council:

“We believe that it is important for the UN to continue to function effectively to adapt its structure to the realities of the 21st century, to expand the representation of countries from Asia, Africa and Latin America in the Security Council and other key bodies, including those whose leaders are in this room.”

There were the heads of India, Mongolia and Venezuela among those who supported the idea of the need to reform the UN. In turn, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that the UN Security Council, the IMF and human rights organisations have lost their effectiveness due to Western interference in their work.

Resolution of the conflict in the Middle East — a Palestinian state

During his speech, Guterres also spoke in favour of ending hostilities in hot spots around the world. The military conflict between Israel and Palestine has become the most discussed today: delegates have repeatedly spoken out for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. India expressed concerns that the conflict in the Middle East will expand.

According to him, for a year, Palestine has suffered from a humanitarian catastrophe. Israel is conducting ethnic cleansing, crimes are occurring, people are being starved. Israel has decided to close the UN office in Jerusalem, this action must be condemned. He added that after 76 years, the time has come to put an end to the violence by forcing Israel to end its illegitimate presence within one year. If this does not happen, then it is necessary to apply sanctions, insisted Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Putin named the creation of an independent Palestinian state as a way to resolve the conflict in the Middle East. The need to recognise such a country was repeatedly expressed at the meeting. For example, the idea of establishing a Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem was supported by Erdogan.

Prospects for reforming international financial systems

Today's financing system does not provide many vulnerable countries with the level of social security they need, Guterres stated in his report.

According to him, the Pact for the Future, which was approved by UN member states a month earlier, provides for measures to reform the international financing architecture, which is outdated, ineffective and unfair. These include increasing support from development banks and their preferential financing for developing countries, as well as restructuring loans for states “drowning in debt.”

Earlier, Putin noted that the time had come to reform global financial structures. According to him, the management systems of the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and other multilateral development banks today do not reflect the growing weight of developing countries in the global economy. Some countries such as Kyrgyzstan expressed a desire to cooperate with the BRICS New Development Bank.

“The Kyrgyz Republic is interested in cooperation with the New Development Bank in the framework of financing infrastructure projects and sustainable development projects both in the BRICS countries and in other developing countries,” its President Sadyr Japarov confirmed.

In addition, during the meeting, the Russian president invited all interested countries to participate in the creation of North-South international transport corridor. In turn, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan spoke about the Crossroads of the World project:

“Armenia is ready and interested in the passage of vehicles, cargo, passengers, pipelines, cable routes through its territory. This is the shortest route between the Black Sea and the Persian Gulf through the territories of Iran, Armenia and Georgia. This is the North-South direction. And also the shortest route between the Caspian and Marmara Seas through the territories of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Turkey. This is the East-West direction.”

According to him, Azerbaijan was offered simplification of border and customs control procedures and provision of additional security measures. In addition, Pashinyan said that the draft peace treaty with Baku has been agreed upon by at least 80-90% — the countries managed to agree on all fundamental issues to establish a foundation for peace.