Addressing a conference in Terhan entitled "Iran and BRICS" on Tuesday which was also attended by the Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov, the Iranain foreign minister first congratulated the anniversary of National Journalist Day in Iran.
"I am very pleased to be present at the final meeting of the Iran-BRICS conference. In June of this year, at the meeting of BRICS friends in Cape Town, which was hosted and chaired by South Africa's Foreign Minister Dr. Pandor, I announced that we would soon hold a conference with the help of my colleagues in Iran, and its purpose would be exploring the potentials and examining and identifying the cooperation between Iran and BRICS in a collective and mutual consultation."
"Today, we have seen that the BRICS economic growth has strengthened the self-confidence among the members and increased the global trust in its effectiveness. The great interest in joining this group on the part of the important countries of the southern hemisphere bears testimony to this. We have seen that the share of BRICS in the global GDP and trade between them has been increasing, and efforts to reduce the cost of bilateral trade, including the desire to use local currencies, are considered an important step in this direction," he added while noting that "Institutionalization of BRICS has been done in a smart way so far."
"The establishment of a new BRICS development bank without disrupting the current systems can play an important role in completing the global financial, banking and monetary systems," the top Iranian diplomat said, adding that, "The BRICS vast potential can be directed in two ways: First, creating a model for intra-south cooperation. And second, moving towards correcting the shortcomings in the global systems by creating structures beyond the five BRICS founding countries. BRICS is a transcontinental alliance, but it is not yet a global alliance, and both of these processes are considered necessary to materialize BRICS objectives."
He said that "interaction with multilateral institutions has been on the agenda of the Iranian government," adding, "Iran's multilateralism approach is not just a reaction to unleashed unilateralism, but it is a choice."
The foreign minister pointed out that, "The partnership between Iran and BRICS has already been forged in some areas, including the North-South corridor."
Amir-Abdollahian went on to say that "The cooperation between Iran and China to connect China to the Persian Gulf and the Oman Sea and the Indian Ocean have in practice linked China and India as the two founders of BRICS, and through combined transportation, it (Iran) can link China to South Africa and even Brazil. In the field of energy and ensuring its lasting security, Iran is an important surplus value (asset) for BRICS members. The membership of Iran and countries with energy-rich countries such as Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and the UAE in the BRICS and participation in the energy sector will further strengthen the position of that economic group."
He thanked extending an invitation to President Ebrahim Raeisi to participate in the BRICS summit in Johannesburg.
MNA/FNA14020517000139
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