Summary BRICS foreign ministers meeting in Cape Town for two days
State ambition to compete with West on global stage
Questions over potential Putin visit for August summit
South Africa in tight spot due to arrest warrant for Putin
CAPE TOWN, June 1 (Reuters) - BRICS foreign ministers on Thursday asserted their bloc's ambition to rival Western powers but their talks in South Africa were overshadowed by questions over whether Russia's president would be arrested if he attended a summit in August.
South Africa's Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor said her country was mulling options if Vladimir Putin, the subject of a war crimes arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC), came to the planned BRICS summit in Johannesburg.
As a member of the ICC, South Africa would theoretically be required to arrest Putin, and Pandor was bombarded with questions about that as she arrived for a first round of talks with representatives from Brazil, Russia, India and China.
"Our government is currently looking at what the legal options are with respect to this matter," she told reporters.
"The answer is the president (Cyril Ramaphosa) will indicate what the final position of South Africa is. As matters stand an invitation has been issued to all (BRICS) heads of state," Pandor said.
Putin has not confirmed his plans, with the Kremlin only saying Russia would take part at the "proper level".
The ICC accused Putin in March of the war crime of forcibly deporting children from Russian-occupied territory in Ukraine. Moscow denies the allegations. South Africa had invited Putin in January.
In public opening remarks before their private talks, the foreign ministers of Brazil, Russia, India and South Africa and a deputy minister from China spoke in similar terms of their bloc's aspiration to provide leadership in a multipolar world.
"Our vision of BRICS is for our partnership to provide global leadership in a world fractured by competition, geopolitical tension, inequality, and deteriorating global security," said Pandor.
India's Subrahmanyam Jaishankar spoke of the concentration of economic power which he said "leaves too many nations at the mercy of too few", and of the need to reform global decision-making including by the United Nations Security Council.
"Old ways cannot address new situations. We are a symbol of change. We must act," he said.
Russia's Sergei Lavrov accused Western powers of using sanctions against his and other countries as an instrument of colonialism and to unfairly suppress rivals in the global power struggle.
Once viewed as a loose, largely symbolic association of disparate emerging economies, BRICS has in recent years taken more concrete shape, driven initially by Beijing and, since the start of the Ukraine war in February 2022, with added impetus from Moscow.
Among other initiatives, the bloc launched a New Development Bank in 2015, though that has stopped funding projects in Russia to comply with sanctions imposed by Western countries following the invasion of Ukraine.
"We will also explore opportunities for de-risking our BRICS institutions in the current financial landscape," Pandor said in her opening remarks, without elaborating.
BRICS leaders have said they are open to admitting new members, including oil producing countries -- an expansion likely to be on the agenda of the ministers' two-day gathering in Cape Town.
Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud were both present in Cape Town to participate in the BRICS meeting, which continues on Friday.
Their two countries, along with Venezuela, Argentina, Algeria and the United Arab Emirates are among those that have either formally applied to join BRICS or expressed interest, officials said.
Additional reporting by Carien du Plessis, Anait Miridzhanian and Bhargav Achary in Johannesburg Writing by Estelle Shirbon Editing by Joe Bavier, John Stonestreet and Ros Russell
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Tokyogerman on June 1st, 2023 at 08:19 UTC »
We will probably see the birth of the actual Eurodollar as a common currency in the West before these guys can agree on a common currency.
It's easy to be against something, but harder to agree on what you are for
zeta_cartel_CFO on June 1st, 2023 at 06:35 UTC »
Most of the BRICS barely like each other. Specially India and China. I can't see a solid counterweight lasting for long.
schlzbz19 on June 1st, 2023 at 06:30 UTC »
In my opinion, the concern regarding the anxiety of the BRICS as a counter-block to the West is exaggerated.
Firstly, the premise on which the BRICS narrative is built suggests that bloc building and action can potentially lead to increased confrontation and polarization, ultimately favouring established centres of power over aspiring powers. However, this assumption overlooks that the BRICS countries have shown a commitment to a more balanced and cooperative approach to international relations. They have emphasized the importance of dialogue, diplomacy, and mutually beneficial partnerships, rather than seeking confrontation with the West. Therefore, the likelihood of the BRICS becoming an aggressive counter-block is minimal.
Secondly, the multi-alignment nature of the BRICS brings tangible benefits to its members. The BRICS nations recognize the advantages of engaging with multiple actors on the global stage, rather than limiting themselves to a single bloc. Consequently, these countries have no compelling reason to engage in block-building activities that could potentially jeopardize their broader interests and partnerships.
Lastly, even if the BRICS countries were inclined to form a cohesive block, they lack the necessary material and geographic foundations, as well as the economic links, to effectively counterbalance the European Union or the United States. Unlike the EU or the US, the BRICS countries do not possess a unified institutional framework, a shared currency, or a highly integrated economic system. Their individual economies and geopolitical positions differ significantly, making it challenging to forge a cohesive and influential counter-block.