The monopoly of the West has been postponed as unnecessary
BRICS is a huge step that has been taken towards creating a just world. Belarus is pleased to have the opportunity to join these processes at the very beginning and be among those who will be at its origins. We are used to it. Belarus is one of the founding countries of the United Nations. We can handle it.
The year of Russia's BRICS presidency is coming to an end, and today we see that during this period the group has gained global popularity. Many countries share the commitment to join the BRICS. What is the reason for the increased interest? Obviously, during this year there has been a global reconsideration of the causes of the crisis that has affected the entire world community. Many countries have rejected black- and-white interpretations of international events. The level of responsibility of State leaders has increased significantly. We see that concern about the development of the situation in the world is growing, as is the realisation that no one will be able to solve all these problems for us.
In the information space, the topic of the Third World War and nuclear confrontation was so firmly entrenched by the efforts of the West that it has provoked a response in the form of a commitment to put a real obstacle on the escalation path. The world community has already experienced two World Wars and is well aware of the fact that there will be no winners in this confrontation. Therefore, it is so important to have structures within which you can calmly discuss all current issues, compare views and reflect on the image of our common future.
At the beginning of its formation, the BRICS "five" never imagined that they would have to face such challenges and that this platform would become crucial for setting a unifying agenda. There are many international organizations in the world today, but it is within the framework of the BRICS that dialogue as a format has been preserved, and trust destroyed by the West is being restored.
The key task of the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan, held with the participation of the ¬President of Belarus Alexander¬ Lukashenko, was to identify the pathway towards multipolarity. The monopoly of the West was not just questioned — it has been postponed as unnecessary. The main thesis, which was emerged the Kazan Summit is that BRICS and its activities are not directed against anyone. All countries have too much to do to add confrontation to the global agenda.
The range of issues that were raised at the Summit is more than impressive. In fact, there is not a single area of international cooperation that has not been covered by BRICS. Security, counter-terrorism, finance, logistics, food security, technological sovereignty, cultural and ‑humanitarian sphere
Over the past few years, we have seen that the West has premium conditions in controlling capital flows. The dominance of the dollar allows them to use their advantages to directly interfere in the internal affairs of states, establish a dictate in payments, and block the banking system The establishment of an independent payment system that would reduce the impact of SWIFT has been brought to the top of the tasks. The Summit declaration contains an agreement to discuss and explore the possibilities of providing an independent cross-border BRICS Clear settlement- and‑depository infrastructure.
As the presidents of Russia and Iran emphasized in their speeches, the use of the dollar as a weapon or instrument of control over other countries is unacceptable.
The Belarusian view on the role of BRICS is as follows. We have seen that the West has failed to cope with the tasks of global governance, has led the world community to a new round of escalation, which means that it should give way to those who are ready to move towards the development agenda. Our country is ready to become a worthy member of the BRICS community and has done a lot to contribute to trust and peace. We have established partnership relations with the vast majority of the states that attended the Summit in Kazan. Most of them are our allies.
What matters today are not statements of intention, but concrete projects and the commitment to implement them.
For each of them, we have not only experience, but also prompt implementation capabilities.
It is difficult to overestimate contribution of Belarus to food security. In addition to the fact that we have solved this problem internally, our country provides the necessary assistance to everyone. We are consistently fighting illegal unilateral restrictions that have reduced the supply of Belarusian potassium fertilizers and caused an increase in prices for agricultural products.
As practice shows, reshaping the economy on a global scale and launching new formats of economic cooperation will require certified experts. The system of higher education and advanced training in Belarus is globally recognized and meets modern demands. And the BRICS countries have already been able to assess this.
However, the most important thing for our country is to work on the peace initiatives track. It is this area in which Belarus may prove to be the most useful for the BRICS. Our expertise, wide experience, history and profound understanding of regional processes make our contribution valuable. Of course, Belarus expects to receive certain benefits from joining the BRICS. Most importantly, within the BRICS framework, we will enhance the recognition of our country in the world, get the opportunity to participate in projects that are important for the regions, rather than just for individual countries. Additional opportunities will be created for working on the cultural and humanitarian track. After all, trust and economic cooperation are based on understanding each other, cultural traditions, and business rules
Olga LAZORKINA, Analyst of the Belarusian Institute of Strategic Research