BRICS experts on the future of the group

On 21 May 2015, the Rossiya Segodnya International Multimedia Press Centre hosted a news conference "BRICS experts on the association's future: long-term perceptions" on the future of the group. The event marks the opening of the VII BRICS Academic Forum in Moscow on 22-23 May.

Georgy Toloraya, Executive Director of the Russian National Committee on BRICS Research and Director of the Centre for Russian Strategy in Asia of the Russian Academy of Sciences' Institute of Economics, specifically, announced that the upcoming forum will consist of ten sections. The discussion will cover the participation of BRICS in global governance, economic cooperation, financial architecture, peace and security, social policy and development prospects for the association and its interaction with other countries.

"The discussion promises to be very productive," he stressed. Georgy Toloraya also said that the BRICS Think Tanks Council Meeting on 21 May was used to discuss the preparation of an analytical report on the association's long-term strategy. "Heated discussions bring out the truth," he said. "We eventually agreed on a final text for our report. We will present it to the BRICS leaders at the Summit in Ufa."

He added that the report would analyse five areas of BRICS cooperation, including economic development, global political and economic governance, social policy and sustainable development, peace and security, and the exchange of knowledge and innovation. "These are five areas of cooperation will be analysed with recommendations for development," he said.