Sergei Naryshkin: Activity within the BRICS parliamentary dimension is proof that the world is multipolar

The First BRICS Parliamentary Forum, which took place on 8 June in Moscow, kicked off a new parliamentary dimension of the group, State Duma Speaker Sergei Naryshkin said, commenting on the forum results.

According to him, despite the fact that the BRICS countries have differences in national legislation, the forum participants managed to discuss complicated issues related to international security and the development of international institutions and to plan ways of cooperation.

The activities of BRICS, including within its parliamentary dimension, prove that the world is multipolar, Naryshkin said, adding that "this is an example of how international groupings should be formed in the 21st century: on the principles of trust, mutual respect and with a positive and constructive agenda."

According to the State Duma speaker, in addition to Russia, there are a few big countries with strong economies and sovereign and independent policies focused on the views and interests of their own people and ignoring advice from overseas.

Naryshkin said some politicians are wrong as they argue that BRICS has little significance as an international organisation. According to him, the BRICS countries discussed and approved concrete measures, including financial and economic ones. In particular, he recalled the decision to establish the BRICS New Development Bank and the BRICS Contingent Reserve Arrangement. The necessary documents have already been ratified by the Russian Parliament, and the same procedure is underway in the partner countries.

Alexei Pushkov, Head of the State Duma Committee for International Relations, also shared his assessment of the forum with journalists.

"The BRICS parliamentary Forum is not just a forum to exchange views: the participants came to the conclusion that the challenge is to turn BRICS into an international mechanism for cooperation on key issues. This is an important new element in developing the activities of the group," he said.

He also expressed a hope that the BRICS parliamentary Forum would be held annually and would promote the establishment of a more equitable multipolar world based not on the superiority of one state over others but on the balance of interests.