Russia Aims to Strengthen BRICS-Plus for Global South

New Delhi, Jan 19 (PTI) Russia aims at strengthening the BRICS-Plus as one of the core organisations promoting the agenda of the Global South during its presidency of the grouping, the country's Deputy Chief of Mission in India Roman Babushkin said on Friday.

At a discussion on 'Emergence of BRICS-Plus and its trajectory' at the Institute of Social Sciences, Babushkin said the BRICS promotes diversity, respect for national development of choices, and just and equal global financial and trading models.

"Russia does not recognize the rules-based order because it was never explained by those who had introduced this concept. It was introduced by different countries... they've been putting sanctions under the flag of rules-based order. They have politicised multilateral institutions under the rules-based order," he said.

The Russian diplomat said BRICS is expanding amid growing geopolitical turbulence. "Now, it is about to comprise 10 countries, including Egypt, Ethiopia, and Saudi Arabia," Babushkin said, adding that many more countries are interested in joining the grouping.

"BRICS offers consensus-based, equal mutually beneficial and non-politicised corporation... in BRICS there is no place for dominance, no confrontational approach, no double standards, sanctions, weaponisation of economy and currencies," he said.

Babushkin said the Russian presidency is aimed at "strengthening the BRICS' global influence as one of the core organisations promoting the Global South agenda".

He added that members of the BRICS grouping are taking consistent steps to finish the settlements in national currencies and to work out an independent payment mechanism.

"The motto of the Russian presidency is strengthening multilateralism for equitable global development and security. Russia plans to hold more than 200 events structured within the three baskets -- policy and security, economy and finance, culture and humanitarian contexts," he said.

Rajiv Bhatia, a former ambassador of India to Mexico, South Africa and Myanmar said Russia should do more to ensure the expansion of the UN Security Council to include countries like India, South Africa and Brazil.

"I know it will not happen tomorrow. But the BRICS under Russian leadership should give further strength to this idea," he said, adding, "If it wants to refer to multilateralism, then the claims of India, South Africa and Brazil to be members of the UN Security Council should be strengthened and supported by the Russian presidency."

The BRICS was formed in 2009 with Brazil, Russia, India and China. It was first expanded to admit South Africa in 2010. At its summit in August 2023, the BRICS alliance decided to expand by six countries.

Russia took over the BRICS chairmanship on January 1, 2024.