Russian Consulate in Cape Town

#BRICS2024 🎙Remarks by President of Russia Vladimir Putin at the Plenary Session of the BRICS Business Forum(October 18, 2024) 💬 I am sincerely delighted to welcome everyone to the BRICS Business Forum. I would like to note the wide representation of participants in this hall. We have leading business representatives from every country in the BRICS group. Your companies have been successfully cooperating for a long time, implementing impressive joint projects across a variety of domains: industry and energy, transport and infrastructure, agriculture and the digital economy. I would like to note, in particular, that this Forum is attended by business leaders from countries that became full participants on January 1, 2024. These are our colleagues and friends from Saudi Arabia, Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates. 👉 I would like to emphasise that as the current chair of #BRICS, Russia strives to facilitate integration of new members into all cooperation mechanisms. We saw that representatives from the new BRICS countries were warmly received in the Business Council, and they, too, became actively involved in its work. The theme of Russia’s BRICS Chairmanship in 2024 is Strengthening Multilateralism for Just Global Development and Security. A meaningful action plan is being implemented to advance the partners on three major tracks: • politics and security, • economy and finance, • cultural and humanitarian ties. To date, the progress on the plan exceeds 80%. ℹ️ Over 200 events, meetings, conferences, and industry gatherings have been held, as well as most of the expert and ministerial meetings. However, the BRICS Summit, which will open next week in the Russian city of Kazan, will be the central event. It is symbolic that the leaders’ meeting in Kazan is preceded by this Business Forum, which underscores the importance of close economic partnership between our countries, promoting trade and investment, and deepening cooperation. The BRICS partners’ joint efforts aimed at accelerating socioeconomic growth and ensuring sustainable development bring concrete, tangible results and in fact, contribute to improving the well-being and quality of life of our countries’ citizens. <...> ☝️ Among the BRICS leaders' top priorities is to promote business activity. <...> By helping and supporting each other, we will fulfil the main goal of ensuring positive progress, security and ultimately the well-being of the citizens of our nations. ❗️ BRICS is not oriented against anyone. It is aimed only at one common goal — sustainable development and prosperity of our countries and peoples. 📸© RIAN, TASS

#AntiFakeOfTheDay 📰Regarding a yet another misleading publication in The Times The consistent development of equitable mutually beneficial cooperation within the #BRICS framework has evidently provoked a degree of unconcealed irritation within the British establishment <...>. BRICS is increasingly becoming a target of deliberate attacks and systematic attempts to undermine its credibility by the neoliberal regimes and its crony media outlets. The British media has always acted as an instigator, deliberately distorting the very essence and principles of the association in an attempt to portray BRICS as an antagonist and a collective adversary of the West. 👎 A quintessential example of such alarmist propaganda is Roger Boyes' article in The Times, titled Expanding BRICS Alliance Should Worry NATO. Mr Boyes crafts a narrative from an alternate (un)reality, in which BRICS is purported to resemble a military alliance positioned against NATO. A crash course for the clueless "diplomatic editors"👇 The genuine goals and interests of the association starkly contrast with the fantasies presented in this publication, which has, in recent years, devolved into a run-of-the-mill tabloid. • BRICS has NEVER been, nor does it intend to become, a military alliance. BRICS is not an international organisation or an integration structure, but rather an interstate association of equal participants. It is a multidimensional strategic partnership founded on three key pillars: politics and security, economy and finance, and cultural and social ties. • Relations among BRICS partners are grounded in equality and mutual respect, the principles of openness, pragmatism, solidarity, and, crucially, a lack of bias against any party. • One of the principal objectives of BRICS is to establish a fair and multilateral global economic system. 🤦‍♂️ It is utterly absurd to even entertain the notion of equating BRICS with the aggressive military alliance of NATO. ❗️For decades, NATO's history has been marred by bloody invasions and the destabilisation of security across various regions worldwide. What NATO is: ❌ destruction, suffering, and misery for millions, ❌ suppressing national identities, ❌ relentless expanding of military infrastructure, ❌ imposing neoliberal dictatorship for the benefit of a single nation, ❌ decrepit relic of the Cold War, having long since lost its original purpose. What BRICS is: ✅ creation, ✅ development assistance, ✅ collaborative enrichment of civilisations, ✅ respecting the interests of all nations to establish a truly just world order. The yet another low-quality hit-piece published by another Western newspaper employs own neo-colonial ideas about international relations with the clear aim to incite unfounded fears. By producing a biased article intended to tarnish BRICS, the author, who claims to be a diplomatic editor, merely projects his own flawed, aggressive worldview and embodies the classic British colonial mindset. Such writing is not only tedious but also reveals the profound despair of the"not-so-flourishing Western garden," which is rapidly losing its relevance. Read in full

Russian MFA Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova: The establishment of the BRICS+ Information and Cultural Media Centre marks step forward in developing BRICS+ humanitarian cooperation 🤝The BRICS+ Information and Cultural Media Centre was opened in Moscow on October 15, organised by the All-Russian State Library for Foreign Literature named after M. I. Rudomino and the TV BRICS International Media Network. 📚 The project aims to foster and strengthen humanitarian cooperation among BRICS+ countries and promote culture, science and education. The opening was accompanied by the plenary session titled "Humanitarian Foundations of the BRICS+ Dialogue: The Role of Media in Strengthening Cooperation in the Fields of Culture, Science, and Education." During the event Maria Zakharova emphasised that the creation of the Centre represents a significant step forward in developing humanitarian cooperation between BRICS+ countries: “This platform will become a vibrant hub for disseminating information” #BRICS#RussianMFA

🎥 Films by Russian director Andrey Porshnyak are scheduled to be screened at the seconds annual Thokoza Film Festival in South Africa 📍The festival will be taking place from 29 October to 2 November in the city of Thokoza in the north of the country. 🤝 The TV BRICS International Media Network will present a special programme with films from Argentina, Brazil, India, China and Russia. In particular, the films "Golden Coast of the Arctic" and "Heilongjiang: Zone of Sustainable Economic Development" by director Andrey Porshnyak, the Indian film "Water" by Diya Mari Shaju and Diya Futan, "Counterattack" by Brazilian Victor Uchoa and the Argentine film "My Brother Joaquin" by Luciano Giardino. 🇷🇺 The events of Andrey Porshnyak’s film "Golden Coast of the Arctic" took place in the very north in the city embraced by ice and endless tundra. One of the five largest gold deposits in Russia, Mayskoye, is located here. The reserves explored here will definitely be sufficient until 2032. As many years ago, people from the Mainland are helping to explore the permafrost territory. They come to the Golden Coast of the Arctic to find solutions to non-trivial problems in harsh climatic and geological conditions - to achieve something that is difficult for the average person to imagine even in theory. 🔗Link for Andrey Porshnyak’s film about the enigmatic and mystical Chukotka. https://tvbrics.com/en/shows/documentary-film-the-golden-coast-of-the-arctic/ #russianculture#BRICS#RussiaSouthAfrica

🌐 On October 10, Moscow hosted a high-level seminar as part of the financial track of the Russian #BRICS Chairmanship. 🔘The event was attended by Finance Ministers and Heads of Central Banks of the association, and its main topic was the improvement of the international monetary and financial system. 💬 During the meeting, the participants discussed prospects for the development of the global economy, the current state of the BRICS countries’ economies, issues of customs and tax cooperation, launch of the BRICS research network on finance, interaction in the payment sector, etc. 📊 At the plenary session, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov presented a report on reforming the global financial architecture based on four key principles — security, independence, accessibility and sustainability. #BRICS2024 #Finance

https://www.1tv.ru/live 🎥 "BRICS. Horizons of the future: South Africa". Watch now Channel’s One Russia film about South Africa 🇷🇺🇿🇦#BRICS#RussiaSouthAfrica

Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov about the first BRICS summit in new composition 📍The summit will take place in Kazan, on October 22-24. 🤝There are now ten BRICS member countries: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Iran, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia. Invitations to the summit have been sent to 38 countries. 32 countries have already confirmed their participation. Of these, 24 will be represented at a high level. The circle of participants may be updated. 🌎10 BRICS members account for over 30 percent of the Earth's landmass, 45 percent of the world's population, over 40 percent of all oil production, and about a quarter of the world's exports of goods. By 2028, the GDP of the BRICS member countries will be 37 percent of the global GDP. 🗓️The Russian Chairman plan includes about 250 meetings and forums. Details - https://tvbrics.com/en/news/russian-presidential-aide-yury-ushakov-leaders-from-24-countries-confirm-their-participation-in-bric/ #BRICS

Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov on the contribution of the new BRICS members to create single BRICS currency 🎙️ Russia within the BRICS framework focuses not only on the settlement payment infrastructure, but also on the creation of a depository system for the BRICS countries, said Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov in an interview with RT Arabic TV channel. 📃 The task of the participants is to create their own independent system based on modern technologies to meet the economic needs of Russia and other member countries banned from the international financial system. 🤝 New BRICS members are already contributing to the work of the association. "Egypt is focused on improving development banks work. Iran has great experience in using its own financial technologies in ensuring international trade. The UAE brought a proposal to develop artificial intelligence in finance. Each country is making its own contribution.” 🔗 For more details - https://tass.com/economy/1854341 #BRICS

🎙 President of Russia Vladimir Putin held a meeting with high-ranking representatives of #BRICS states responsible for security matters. 📍 Saint Petersburg, September 12, 2024 💬President Putin: I am delighted to welcome you all to Saint Petersburg. Thank you for being here in Russia’s northern capital. In this regard, I would like to remind you that the BRICS association was established right here, in this very building in St. Petersburg. At that time, the leaders of three states – India, Russia and China – agreed during a meeting to hold regular meetings at the top level, as well as other events. This is how the RIC (Russia, India and China) association was born and began to grow, and today, I have the privilege and pleasure to welcome the participants in the meeting of BRICS high-ranking officials for security matters. I know that yesterday, you had a lively and productive discussion on the most relevant aspects of the global situation, on global and regional stability concerns. This is the fourteenth meeting held by BRICS in this format. However, this time it saw the participation of delegations from the states that joined our association as full-fledged members on January 1. Moreover, a meeting was held with our colleagues from the countries that are not yet part of BRICS but have shown a sincere interest in working more closely with our association. This was done at Russia’s initiative, and we appreciate your support. I want to emphasise that the meeting of high-ranking representatives is a crucial step in preparing for the BRICS summit and BRICS Plus/Outreach, scheduled to take place in Kazan, Russia, on October 22–24. <...> As the current BRICS chair, this year Russia has taken a highly responsible approach to organising joint activities within the association. Our chairmanship has been assigned a crucial task: to facilitate the swift and seamless integration of new member countries into all BRICS mechanisms. Additionally, we have addressed the increasing interest in BRICS from numerous states. ☝️ Currently, over 34 countries have expressed their desire to participate in the activities of our association in some capacity. <...> I want to highlight that the programme of the Russian presidency is both extensive and varied. It encompasses over 200 events designed to enhance partnership across all key areas. <...> To date, more than 70 percent of the chairmanship plan has been completed. Read in full #BRICS2024

🗓 On September 11, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrovmet with a prominent South African public and political figure, former Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa Lindiwe Sisula, who is visiting Moscow to participate in the ceremony to award the Leo Tolstoy International Peace Prize, as a jury member. 🤝 The discussion focused on current issues pertaining to further strengthening the traditionally friendly relations between Russia and South Africa, including the development of inter-party and inter-parliamentary ties and building up mutually beneficial trade, economic and humanitarian cooperation, as well as opportunities for deepening foreign policy coordination within #BRICS, the #G20 and the United Nations.

🗓 On July 12, Moscow hosted consultations between heads of information departments / official spokespersons of Foreign Ministries of the BRICS countries, as part of Russia’s BRICS Chairmanship. The participants held a substantive exchange of opinions on the entire range of issues of more profound collaboration in the information sphere for strengthening #BRICS’ international prestige and making the association more attractive. They noted the special topicality of practical coordination in forging the contours of a common safe media space of the BRICS countries amid aggressive information pressure by the collective West. They discussed the use of digital diplomacy tools in foreign policy activities and charted AI interaction options at specialised multilateral platforms and the practical use of this advanced technology in the information sphere. 🤝 The participants emphasised the importance of elaborating collective mechanisms to counter the spread of misinformation and fakes, attempts to discredit the activities of BRICS and its participants in the eyes of the global public. They voiced their interest in expanding equitable and mutually beneficial cooperation between media outlets, expert circles and professional journalist associations. They also reviewed practical aspects of preparing for and holding of the BRICS Summit in Kazan on October 22-24, 2024, and facilitating its objective and comprehensive media coverage. The participants held bilateral consultations regarding information issues on the sidelines of the meeting with Brazilian 🇧🇷, Egyptian 🇪🇬, Iranian 🇮🇷 and Chinese 🇨🇳 delegations.

#Opinion ✍️Dmitry Trenin, a research professor at the Higher School of Economics and a lead research fellow at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations, member of the Russian International Affairs Council. Europe will eventually have to choose between the US and BRICS Read in full Key points: 💬 Rather than setting out to organize a genuine multipolar system based on mutual recognition of each nation’s core interests, <...> the US proceeded to enhance its exclusive and comprehensive dominance. • This year, at the #BRICS Summit in Russia’s Kazan, the group will for the first time include the leaders of Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Another major Eurasian institution is the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (#SCO) <...> to be admitted soon. A number of other Eurasian countries, from Turkey to Thailand and from the Malpes to Mongolia, have voiced their intention to join either BRICS or SCO. • To counter that trend among the members of what we increasingly call the World Majority, Washington has raised the profile of NATO in the Indo-Pacific; strengthened its Cold War-era bilateral and trilateral alliances in the Western Pacific, and founded a new one, #AUKUS, in the South Pacific. ❗️ All these multiple arrangements are completely dominated by the US and are aimed at containing and deterring Washington’s designated primary adversaries: China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea – with one overriding goal of defending America’s hegemonic position. • In contrast to that, neither BRICS nor the SCO is dominated by a single power, or a tandem/triumvirate of nations. BRICS’s recent expansion also suggests that it does not aspire to become a version of the West’s G7, as an elitist steering group, or directoire, for the non-Western world. • Neither BRICS nor the SCO is overtly anti-American or anti-Western: their main focus is internal rather than external, and they have their work cut out for them. • The emerging mutual security space within the SCO will make the continent – minus Western Europe, for the time being – far more stable, whether in terms of strategic stability in major-power relations, regional security systems, or the risks of terrorism. ☝️ Eventually, the countries of Western Europe – or far western Eurasia, if you like – will have to make a choice between staying in the US orbit as America’s power continues to shrink, or reaching out east to a vast and vibrant new world next door.