Western countries continue to try to isolate Russia completely, through numerous economic sanctions, bans on sports and culture, and refusal to engage in dialogue on various issues. Does this benefit people and will it lead to progress or resolution of the conflict in Ukraine?
Many international experts have long said that anti-Russian sanctions are like a “shot in the leg” and that Europe’s economy is seriously affected by these ill-conceived measures.
What about the complete isolation of Russia? The failure of this initiative is evidenced by the results of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum held on June 14-17, which was attended by over 17,000 participants from 130 countries, including a delegation from the Philippines.
More than 900 agreements totaling $48.3 billion were signed during the Forum. On the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to discuss preparations for the upcoming BRICS summit, which will be held from August 22 to 24 in South Africa.
It should be noted that for the success of this summit South Africa decided in June to withdraw from the jurisdiction of the international criminal court. This decision, according to the South African leader, was made because the court was “against some countries.”
The success of the BRICS, and the growing interest in the activities of this organization also demonstrate the desire of many countries to develop relations with Russia and China. Argentina, Iran, Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Mexico, Thailand, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Algeria, Greece, Syria and Tajikistan have applied to join the BRICS.
It is easy to see that the small alliance is now rapidly transforming into a powerful partnership coalition. In fact, last June 3, French President Emmanuel Macron discussed in a telephone conversation with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa the possibility of becoming a guest of the BRICS summit.
This information was confirmed by French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, who acknowledged officially that Emmanuel Macron does want to be the first Western leader to be invited to the BRICS summit.
What is the attraction of the BRICS to other countries? Faced with the exclusive cliques of the United States and other Western states that form politico-military blocs like AUKUS and QUAD to foment confrontation, developing countries, increasingly aware of the importance of strategic autonomy, are voluntarily joining the “open, inclusive, cooperative and mutually beneficial” mechanism of BRICS. This is a progressive trend of our time.
All members of this organization are in favor of a multipolar world and a just world order, which is an “alternative” to the Western world run by the United States. It should be noted that now the BRICS countries account for 31.5 percent of global GDP, while the share of the G-7 fell to 30 percent.
BRICS is an example of cooperation between very different systems that have agreed on one thing—not to meddle in each other’s internal affairs and not to proclaim any of the systems as “the only right.”
BRICS expansion is an issue that frightens the West. The growing popularity of this association in the developing world threatens to create an entire anti-American bloc that will strengthen the position of Russia and China against the United States and the EU and challenge the existing system of power.
The BRICS countries have also begun discussing the creation of a joint currency in order to preserve their own financial sovereignty and security. States have already moved to mutual settlements in national currencies. The example of China and Saudi Arabia, which switched to oil settlements in yuan, has inspired other major exporters of black gold, such as Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Venezuela, to get even closer to the BRICS, which greatly increases the likelihood of dedollarization in the oil trade.
The Philippines should take into account the future changes in the world; maybe it should follow the Indonesian example and join the activities of the promising BRICS.
