Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s remarks at a BRICS sherpa and sous-sherpa meeting, Moscow, January 31, 2024

Colleagues,

Friends,

We are delighted to welcome you to this year’s first meetings of BRICS sherpa and sous-sherpas, which is one of numerous events scheduled to be held this year under Russia’s chairmanship. You have been informed about these plans. The new year has begun, and we must get down to work. Our meeting is taking place in truly wintry conditions, but I am sure that you have experienced Russian cordiality and hospitality. Welcome!

Regarding the agenda that is important to our group today, it consists of issues that are related to the objective processes underway now. We can see a deep transformation of international relations, which reflects the development of a more democratic and fairer multipolar world based on the cultural and civilisational diversity of the modern world and the right of every nation to determine its future.

It is a historically objective process. New powerful centres of economic growth and financial and political influence are rising. This is not happening because the US-led collective West is doing everything in its power to preserve its domination, or whatever is left of it, which they have enjoyed for 500 years of human history. That domination rests on colonial wars, the exploitation of nations, and many other elements. It can be described as the privileged position of the “golden minority.”  It is also known as the golden billion, yet it is a minority. The West is trying to preserve this status and to force all others, which we describe as the Global Majority now, to recognise its “privileges.”

They are doing this by promoting their own “rules” as the basis of the world order, something which has become a byword. It means that the West will make decisions and all the others must implement them in a way that suits the West at the given moment. It concerns finance, technology, ideology and international politics.

You are familiar with the notion of multilateralism and the slogan of inclusiveness. Western politicians are using them to camouflage the lop-sided measures which cannot promote a lasting and fair solution to the problems that have piled up in global politics, security and the economy. It is obvious to everyone that the dollar is being used or could potentially be used as a weapon to achieve political objectives. Dollar-denominated grants issued by international financial institutions are being actively used as an instrument of coercion. Unilateral sanctions are eroding the long-established, convenient and effective production logistics chains and undermining the development prospects of countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Instead of encouraging cultural cooperation, they are promoting “cancel culture.”

The reliance of the Western minority on force and the suppression of dissent is leading to serious crises in international relations and increasing the number of conflicts. These unhealthy trends are evident not only in the Euro-Atlantic region but also in the Asia-Pacific region, where Washington and NATO are trying to introduce the logic of bloc confrontation.

The United States has spent years seeking to mobilise mediation efforts in the Middle East settlement process only to bring about a sharp escalation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and cause a humanitarian disaster in the Gaza Strip. Over 25,000 civilians died there and the number of wounded is three times that number. Tel Aviv’s refusal to abide by the UN Security Council decision to establish the State of Palestine is being ignored, which can be viewed as a direct challenge regarding the multiple resolutions adopted by the UN Security Council and General Assembly. Creating a viable Palestinian state, living side by side with Israel and other countries in the region as good neighbours and in security, as well as eradicating extremism and terrorism are key to achieving lasting stability in the Middle East. Today, there is a real danger that instability can well spill over across a wider space in this important region.

The Western policy affects us and we can feel the impact. Everyone knows that a hybrid war has been unleashed against Russia. The United States and its allies want to impose the infamous Zelensky Formula on the international community. I know for a fact that they have been proactive in inviting the countries of the Global South, including those represented here today, to these events by trying to present this would-be formula as the only option for achieving a settlement. However, it is obvious to anyone that this is nothing more than an ultimatum presented to the Russian Federation. It cannot be fulfilled, while discrediting those who are trying to pose as foreign policy leaders and effective managers.

The Copenhagen format held yet another meeting in Davos recently on the Zelensky Formula. Some of the countries represented in this room attended it. After the meeting, I talked to my colleagues from several friendly countries, including on the role assigned to the Global South at these meetings. The only purpose of these gatherings is to establish the peace formula as the only possible solution without any alternative.

I reminded my colleagues that our Chinese friends drafted their own document on this issue. What sets it apart from other initiatives is that it prioritises the need to eliminate the causes of the ongoing developments in Europe. This is an essential point. I said that our South African colleagues also presented an initiative. We discussed this in July 2023 in St Petersburg on the sidelines of the Russia-Africa Summit and adopted a document dealing with the humanitarian dimension of the crisis. President of Brazil Luiz Lula da Silva discussed his proposals with President Vladimir Putin.

I asked those who attended the Peace Formula meeting in Davos whether the initiatives presented by the Global Majority got any traction, only to be told that no one paid any attention to them. They are not there to offer initiatives. In fact, they are not expected to contribute in any meaningful way. All they have to do is go there so that they can be counted among the participants for producing a new record for the whole world to see. All this would be credited to Vladimir Zelensky’s Peace Formula.

This demonstrates a total failure to respect the opinions of others and the desire to ignore them, which amounts to a purely colonial, imperialist attitude, no matter how you put it. We have experienced these historical stages in the development of human society. There is no doubt that all this Copenhagen Process simply builds on the well-known policy declared by the West to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia in order to maintain its global dominance before moving on to the next stage in international politics. This will consist of containing China as posing the biggest challenge for the global minority.

What is happening in Ukraine is a tragedy. The West couldn’t care less about the lives of Ukrainians. They are collateral damage, as they say in the US army. They look right past the massive violations by the criminal Kiev regime of all human rights and freedoms, including those of ethnic minorities. Ethnic Russians and Russian-speakers have been stripped of these rights by law. The above are the current net results of the activities of Western geopolitical architects.

Washington and its European satellites are spending vast amounts of money to contain Russia, in stark contrast to the Western capitals’ approach to the Global South, especially the African countries. Kiev is receiving more and more fabulous amounts of money. Aid to the Kiev regime exceeded $200 billion in less than two years, while humanitarian supplies and technology transfers to developing countries are a fraction of those figures, and are subject to numerous conditions. There are cases where support for Ukraine is financed by suspending projects in Africa and the Middle East. We are well aware of this.

Nevertheless, we know the course of history cannot be reversed. We are witnessing the Global Majority – the states of Eurasia, the Asia-Pacific region, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean – gain a stronger foothold in the world system. Most of these countries are increasingly asserting their national interests and identities and striving for genuine strategic independence – not in isolation, but in cooperation with other free and independent states that respect international law. In other words, their national interests are now at the forefront, as opposed to the whims of former metropolises.

Our strategic partners, including those in BRICS, are pursuing pragmatic and independent foreign policies – unlike the West, which tends to impose on others the development models that suit it. The new world centres’ natural aspirations to play a more active role in significant decision-making is supported by the growing economic potential of the states represented here. It is no coincidence that not only political activity, but also trade and investment is shifting from the Euro-Atlantic region to Eurasia and the Asia-Pacific region. Especially at a time when the West is destroying globalisation tools, international markets are becoming regionalised, and most supply and logistics chains are being rebuilt so as not to depend on Western tools. The roles of other currencies are growing compared to the dollar, the euro and other Western currencies.

In principle, not a single really serious issue can be effectively decided today by a single power, no matter how large or confident it is, especially through infringement on the interests of other countries. A collective approach, which the BRICS countries and a vast number of their supporters are promoting, is not an option or a whim but a current imperative. This is why the motto we have chosen for Russia’s BRICS chairmanship this year is Strengthening Multilateralism for Equitable Global Development and Security. We regard BRICS as a bulwark and a prototype for a multipolar world, the development of which all of us are trying to contribute to in the name of a brighter and more harmonious future for our people.

BRICS is a global organisational principle for the Global South and East. However, it is not based on the bloc principle, which I want to emphasise, but on the principles of mutual respect, a sovereign choice of development path and the implementation of the fundamental principle of the UN Charter, that is, the sovereign equality of states.

You may notice that since its establishment, the UN and its activities have clearly demonstrated that the United States and its allies have never respected the principle of the sovereign equality of states during any crisis situation or conflict. They have always wanted to be more equal than others.

The accession of new countries – Egypt, Iran, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Ethiopia, which I wholeheartedly welcome once again – is strengthening our strategic partnership and the international standing of our group. You know how many countries are interested in developing partner relations with BRICS and have officially declared an interest. We will pay particular attention to this during our chairmanship.

The figures are self-evident. The aggregate GDP of the BRICS countries in terms of purchasing power parity has reached about one third of the global value and has exceeded that of the G7 countries. The BRICS countries account for 30 percent of dry land and 45 percent of the world’s population, a substantial part of the global production of oil and other resources, and about 25 percent of global exports. With this huge potential, we cannot be a passive observer or follow in the wake of historical processes, especially in light of the hopes the countries of the Global South and East are pinning on BRICS. Our group has the ability to form a global agenda by consistently upholding the interests of the Global Majority and offering our views on the contours of the future world order based on objective events rather than artificial schemes designed to hinder humankind’s development.

At the same time, we all agree that this activity and initiative do not amount to attempts to force something on somebody. We are always open to an equal dialogue aimed at looking for a balance of interests. A recent example of this dialogue and its effectiveness is the G20 summit held in 2023 in New Delhi, which the majority of states present here attended. Ultimately, a balanced document was adopted. It objectively reflects the current state of global politics, especially in terms if geopolitics. The West failed to impose its one-sided view of current foreign policy issues through the omission of the crises which they themselves are whipping up and which cannot be put out after American and British interference. Our group is competent and knows what it wants and how to achieve these goals without – I would like to stress this again – forcing solutions on anyone.

We have a long track record of effectively promoting cooperation among countries representing various civilisations, religions and macro regions in all spheres, from politics and security to economics and humanitarian contacts. Regional integration processes have been enjoying a lot of momentum in their development lately, as we can see in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as in Eurasia. There are interesting projects there involving the SCO, the EAEU, ASEAN, including in the context of working with China’s Belt and Road Initiative. All these subregional and regional processes will move forward at an even faster pace and gain substance while the West keeps pushing its age-old global instruments. It has been trying to persuade everyone that these are universal tools or that the dollar does not belong to the United States and can operate as a universal asset so that anyone can use it to their benefit and in their own interests. The same treatment was given to other tools and principles governing free trade and globalisation, including the sacred nature of private property, the presumption of innocence and many other tenets.

It turns out, however, that all these sacrosanct free trade principles can be instantly reversed and turned upside down to become tools of coercion against those whom Washington does not find to its liking. Any country could find itself in a situation like this. The regional fragmentation of the global economy and logistics is a natural reflection of the way people live in various corners of the world. There is another factor which can accelerate these processes since Washington and those who control present-day finances, monetary policies, trade and global affairs have demonstrated their inability to strike deals and that they are unreliable. What we are witnessing is a positive process to remove the risks for countries in the Global South and East of being manipulated by their former colonial powers.

As for our association, it follows the same trends but on a global scale. BRICS represents a cooperation network for regional and subregional processes in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. This cooperation network is expected to promote harmony and deepen integration within the Global Majority around the world. Our presidents and prime ministers discussed these topics during their meetings. Once again, these efforts are not designed in any way to create a new mechanism enabling the Global Majority to impose its will on others. On the contrary, in everything we do or say, in all our declarations and our actions, all of our countries emphasise that we are open to starting an honest and equal dialogue at any time. But this must be an honest and equal dialogue – it has been long time since we have seen this approach from many Western leaders. It is something rare these days, a scarce commodity for the global minority. We will carry on with our plan of events as presented to you.

We will focus on ensuring the smooth inclusion of our new colleagues and new BRICS members in everyday activities. We will continue prioritising cooperation with countries (nearly 30 of them) that have shown an interest in a rapprochement with BRICS and are prepared to participate in our practical projects.  I am referring to the outreach/BRICS+ formats and an agreement to form a new category of partner countries, which was reached by our leaders at the latest summit.  The sherpas will have much responsibility in this regard. From the point of view of attaining common positions, you do the main work in terms of volume and substance at your level. We highly appreciate this.

During its chairmanship at BRICS this year, Russia will do its best to make your work comfortable and will seek to help find solutions to issues, where it is necessary to strengthen common consensus and approaches. 

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Before I conclude my remarks, let me transition from the discourse on the special role of the sherpas and carry out an important mission on instructions from President of Russia Vladimir Putin. I would like to award the Order of Friendship to Ambassador Anil Sooklal, Deputy Director-General responsible for Asia and the Middle East at the Department of International Relations and Cooperation of the Republic of South Africa and South Africa’s BRICS Sherpa.

We know the Ambassador as a principled and skilled diplomat, who firmly and sincerely believes in the need for collective development and prosperity of the entire humankind. He staunchly adheres to the sacred BRICS principles of openness, equality and consensus.  Mr Anil Sooklal played an important role in many important BRICS initiatives, including the launch of outreach-format meetings between the Five and leaders of like-minded nations, and the creation of the New Development Bank and the BRICS Vaccine Research and Development Centre.

It is no secret that Mr Anil Sooklal is a great friend of all countries represented here. He has visited Russia multiple times, and is familiar with every aspect of our national traditions. To a large extent, this is due to the BRICS events held during Russia’s Chairmanship years. He is a real veteran, endowed with youthful enthusiasm and energy, which, I am sure, will help promote many BRICS initiatives. We appreciate his disposition and his contribution to strengthening the strategic partnership between South Africa and Russia.