Dmitry Medvedev: BRICS format contributes to forming a more equitable and sustainable international system

Speaking in an interview with the Egyptian daily Al-Ahram before his visit to Egypt, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev expressed the view that the role of BRICS in international affairs is growing. In his words, at present, the BRICS countries already account for half the world's population and 20 percent of the global GDP. "BRICS is a mechanism for coordinating approaches to important issues in international relations and global development. This contributes to forming a more balanced, more equitable, more sustainable, and, if you will, a more democratic international system," he said.

The prime minister went on to say that many countries are interested in joining the association, as evidenced by its July summit in Ufa, which was attended, along with the leaders of the BRICS countries, by the heads of member states of the Eurasian Economic Union, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and the SCO observer states. According to Dmitry Medvedev, the association is open to such cooperation. "Outreach meetings have become commonplace during the BRICS summits," he said. Still, he believes that it's too early to speak about expanding BRICS. "The association needs to fine-tune its mechanisms and formats, which are numerous, including the New Development Bank and the Contingent Reserve Arrangement, to name a few," he said, adding that this did not mean, however, that BRICS would not accept new participants in the future.