Russia wants to turn BRICS into strategic coordination mechanism - Foreign Ministry

MOSCOW, April 2. /TASS/. The purpose of Russia’s chairmanship in BRICS is to turn the group into a mechanism for coordinating strategic issues between partner countries, Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said on Thursday. "Russia assumed chairmanship in BRICS on April 1 and will be presiding over the interstate association until February 16. A website dedicated to Russia’s chairmanship began working yesterday," he said. "During a very brief period of its existence, the forum turned into a powerful factor of global development," the diplomat said. "A system of foreign policy coordination, interaction in the United Nations and in other international organizations has taken shape." According to Lukashevich, among the group’s achievements was the establishment of the BRICS New Development Bank and a pool of currency reserves. "While holding the chairmanship of BRICS, Russia, acting together with its partners, aims at making new major steps in transforming the group into a mechanism for coordinating strategic and current actions on a wide array of economic and foreign policy issues," Lukashevich noted. "The main priorities of Russia’s chairmanship are interaction in strengthening strategic stability, settling regional conflicts and enhancing the WMD non-proliferation regime." Read more