Lavrov expects strengthening of BRICS position in G20

After inviting six more countries to the association, the positions of BRICS will be strengthened in the G20, Russia intends to coordinate its approaches with new members on international platforms, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

According to the head of the Foreign Ministry, the position of BRICS after its expansion in the G20 will be strengthened, “because both Saudi Arabia and Argentina are here.”

“So the formal division of the G20 into the G7 Plus and the BRICS Plus is now acquiring practical features. And we will, of course, coordinate our approaches with new members both in the UN, and in the G20 and at other international platforms,” said Lavrov in an interview for the Moscow. Kremlin. Putin” on TV channel “Russia 1”.

When asked by journalist Pavel Zarubin about whether BRICS could become an alternative to the G20 format in the future, Lavrov replied that there was no need for this now, and Moscow did not want to “infringe on anyone.”

“We just want to not be hindered from developing projects that are mutually beneficial, not directed against anyone,” the minister explained.

Earlier in August, following the results of the BRICS summit in South Africa, Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates received official invitations to join the bloc. Full membership of new countries in the organization will begin on January 1, 2024. Lavrov later explained that when making decisions on inviting countries, their weight, authority and positions in the international arena were taken into account.

Name BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) will remain former after the invitation to the association of six more countries. According to the minister, this will emphasize “the continuity of all our work.”