Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu participated in the ministerial session of the BRICS Dialogue with Developing Countries at the invitation of the Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov, Phoenix 24 news agency reports.
The session was attended by the foreign ministers and deputy foreign ministers of the BRICS member states – Russia, Brazil, China, India, South Africa, Egypt, Iran, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, and representatives from the invited countries such as Kazakhstan, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Belarus, Venezuela, Vietnam, Indonesia, Cuba, Laos, Mauritania, Thailand, Türkiye, and Sri Lanka.
The forum was held under the theme “Strengthening Multilateralism for Equitable Global Development and Security”.
In his address, Minister Murat Nurtleu emphasized the uniqueness of the BRICS platform as a prime example of intercontinental and interregional cooperation. Kazakhstan views this union as a powerful driver of global economic growth and sustainable development. Today, Astana has a diplomatic presence in all BRICS countries without exception.
“Last year, our trade turnover with BRICS members increased by 55%, exceeding 70 billion US dollars. We look forward to further expanding our ties on digital-technologies, critical minerals, agriculture, infrastructure, investment projects and many other areas,” noted Murat Nurtleu.
Minister Nurtleu underscored the importance of joint efforts in addressing current global challenges. He highlighted timely initiatives by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s international initiatives, such as establishing the UN Regional Hub on SDGs for Central Asia and Afghanistan, forming the International Agency for Biological Safety, and the vision on “World Unity for Just Peace and Harmony”.
He outlined Kazakhstan’s priorities during its chairmanship of several regional organizations (SCO, CICA, IFAS, CSTO, OTS, IOFS, and others), conveying the nation’s vision and positions on key international issues to the event participants.
On the sidelines of the ministerial meeting, Minister Nurtleu held bilateral discussions with the foreign ministers of Russia, Türkiye, Belarus, Iran, Sri Lanka and Ethiopia. These bilateral meetings centered on strengthening trade and economic ties and sharing perspectives on significant international and regional matters.
BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) is a political and economic alliance established in June 2006 at the St. Petersburg Economic Forum under the original name BRIC. In 2010, with the addition of South Africa, the alliance became BRICS. As of January 1, 2024, Egypt, Iran, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Ethiopia have joined as new members.
Each member state holds the chairmanship for one year. This year, the Russian Federation is the chair. The 16th BRICS Summit of Heads of State is scheduled for October 22-24, 2024, in Kazan.
Kazakhstan is a regular participant in BRICS+ Summits, having attended high-level events in 2015, 2022, and 2023.