SCO and BRICS summits to help build new model of int’l relations - Russian diplomat

BEIJING, June 30. /TASS/. The forthcoming summits of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) due to take place in Russia’s Ufa on July 8 through 10 will help build a new model of international relations, Russia’s Ambassador to China Andrei Denisov told TASS on Tuesday. "The BRICS and SCO summits are very important and serious events. But let us not forget that Ufa will host the so-called outreach format, i.e. meetings between the leaders of BRICS and SCO member states and heads of countries invited to the summit," he said. "It expands the horizons of and topics for dialogue, although this or that way they often focus on issues of regional and global security, strengthening economic cooperation in all spheres." The diplomat reminded that along with bilateral meetings, including Russian President Vladimir Putin’s expected talks with China’s President Xi Jinping, the agenda included very important tasks. "For instance, leaders of the SCO countries will discuss a strategy of economic development and cooperation till the year 2025," Denisov said, adding that such document laid the basis for collective efforts yielding added value of multilateral economic cooperation. "The leaders will discuss issues of the SCO evolution, bearing in mind the fact that today it embraces not only member states but also dialogue partners and observers, so, the issue of possible expansion of the organization is on the agenda," he said. "As for the BRICS, along with issues of cooperation in the sphere of international politics and security, central to the agenda are issues of economic, especially financial and banking, cooperation," the Russian diplomat said. "Now, a new BRICS Development Bank is being set up. It will be headquartered in Shanghai. We hope all member and founder countries, including Russia, will make a due contribution to the establishment of the new banking institution and will have tangible profits from its work, first of all in the sphere of infrastructure." Denisov reminded that an agreement had been signed on Monday on the establishment of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, of which Russia was a biggest founder. Such financial institutions, in his words, are called to improve the existing economic and political systems of the world. "As we see, all this forms a new model of both international and regional relations. A model of co-existence of states on an equal and mutually beneficial basis in the 21st century. This is the key task of the summits of the BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization," he said. Read more