The foreign ministers of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa have officially supported the G-20 as the foremost multilateral forum for global economic and financial cooperation. This endorsement was made during their annual meeting held on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, resulting in a joint statement released on Wednesday.
The foreign ministers' meeting was chaired by Russia, the incoming chair of the BRICS grouping for 2024.
While commending the
successful hosting of the G-20 Summit by the
Indian presidency this month, BRICS foreign ministers expressed support for the continuity of the grouping's agenda under the upcoming presidencies of Brazil and South Africa.
The BRICS ministers expressed their welcome to the
African Union (AU) as a full member of the G-20 during the summit in New Delhi. They expressed their optimism that the intergovernmental alliance would continue to strengthen and unite the voices of the Global South.
The joint statement acknowledged the efforts made by South Africa to formalise the memberships of Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in BRICS, emphasizing the importance and progress of this ongoing work.
At the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg last month, a decision was made to induct the six countries as BRICS members by January 1, 2024.
The foreign ministers of the BRICS countries have urged for an overhaul of the United Nations (UN), particularly the Security Council, to foster a more democratic, representative, and efficient organization. Furthermore, they have emphasized the significance of enhancing the representation of developing nations within the UN.
In particular, the BRICS joint statement said that Brazil, India and South Africa should play a “greater role” at the UN Security Council.
The BRICS statement emphasized efforts to strengthen multilateralism and uphold international law.