BRICS+ format called to encourage ‘integration of integrations’ - Russian senior diplomat

CAPE TOWN, February 5. /TASS/. Russian thinks that cooperation between BRICS (a loose association of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) and regional organizations of developing countries is a convenient platform to develop the so-called "integration of integrations," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Monday at a meeting of BRICS’ Sherpas and Sous-Sherpas. Monday’s meeting was the first event on the program of preparations for BRICS’ tenth summit due to be held in late July in Johannesburg. The Russian Sherpa noted that the BRICS+ format had been initiated by South Africa during its previous presidency in the association, when representatives of African regional organizations had been invited to the Durban summit in 2013. Taking the lead, Brazil organized a meeting with the leaders of a number of Latin American states in Fortaleza. Later on, Russia invited the leaders of the countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) to the summit in Ufa. Representatives of the BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) regional forum took part in the summit in Goa. "We invite our partners to consider the BRICS+ format as a platform for the development of what can be called ‘integration of integrations,’" Ryabkov said. The Russian diplomat called to continue consultations between representatives of the five BRICS nations within international organizations on issues of international and cyber security. "We believe that a special forum on this matter, which is scheduled to be held in Cape Town on May 16, should develop into a BRICS sectoral working group," he said. Apart from that, he invited BRICS partners to take part in an international conference on digital currencies and blockchains in Moscow in April and suggested South Africa, as a BRICS president this year, look at a possibility of putting it on a list of BRICS events. Other Russia’s proposals included setting up a joint platform to carry our research in the area of energy sector development and a committee on policy coordination and harmonization of national competition protection laws. Sherpas of other BRICS nations shared the opinion that it was necessary to continue cooperation in the BRICS+ format. Read more