South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Maite Nkoana-Mashabane convened a Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (Brics) foreign/international relations Ministers’ meeting in March on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit, in The Hague, Netherlands.
The meeting was attended by Russian Federation Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov, the Republic of India Minister of External Affairs Salaman Khursid, People’s Republic of China Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Brazil ambassador to the Russian Federation Carlos Antonio Paranhos.
The Ministers recalled the outcome of the Sanya Declaration, adopted at the third Brics Summit, held in China in April 2011, which articulated the fundamental principles that brought the Brics countries together.
The overarching aim and strongly shared desire for peace, security, development and cooperation brought together the Brics countries, which span three different continents and have a total population of nearly three-billion. “Brics aims to contribute significantly to the development of humanity and establishing a more equitably and fair world,” the declaration reads.
“We affirm that the Brics and other emerging countries have played an important role in contributing to world peace, security and stability, boosting global economic growth, enhancing multilateralism and promoting greater democracy in international relations,” the declaration notes.
The Brics foreign/international relations Ministers reflected on the political developments in their regions and reviewed cooperation among Brics countries following the comprehensive implementation of the eThekwini Action Plan, which sets out to facilitate the partnership for the development, integration and industrialisation of Brics countries.
The Ministers reflected that the role of governments in contemporary world politics should focus on pertinent areas where leadership is required, notably in finance, security, information and production.