Russia’s top diplomat to discuss coronavirus pandemic with BRICS colleagues

MOSCOW, April 28. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will take part in a video conference of the top diplomats of the BRICS counties (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) on April 28 to discuss how the crisis, caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic, affects international relations. The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement issued ahead of the conference that "the focus will be on the coronavirus pandemic’s impact on international relations." "The ministers will exchange views on joint measures that the five countries could take to combat COVID-19 and overcome the financial, trade, economic and social consequences of the pandemic," the statement reads. The meeting’s participants will also touch upon strategic partnership between the BRICS countries, including the schedule of events set to take place during Russia’s BRICS chairmanship this year, the ministry added. According to a report released by the Valdai International Discussion Club last week, BRICS should more actively assume the functions of a global institution as traditional Western centers of power start to weaken. According to the report, headlined "BRICS and the Rivalry Pandemic," responding to the novel coronavirus pandemic and its consequences should become a step in this direction. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said last week that BRICS nations encouraged interaction to combat various coronaviruses back when the Ufa summit in 2015. Read more