Belarus to Contribute to BRICS Efforts to Rebuild Security Architecture - Russian Ambassador
© Sputnik / Viktor Tolochko / Go to the mediabankRussian and Belarusian national flags are pictured during a meeting of the High-Level Group of the Council of Ministers of the Union State of Russia and Belarus in Minsk, Belarus
© Sputnik / Viktor Tolochko
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MINSK (Sputnik) - Minsk will make an important contribution to the common efforts of the BRICS countries to build a new global security architecture, Russian Ambassador to Belarus Boris Gryzlov said in an interview with Sputnik.
"I am confident that Minsk will make a significant contribution to the common efforts of the BRICS countries to build a new global security architecture based on the principles of indivisibility, equality, mutual respect and consideration of interests, as well as the unconditional supremacy of international law," Gryzlov said.
Belarus has much to offer the BRICS countries in economic and financial cooperation, as well as in the field of humanitarian ties, he said.
"We note with satisfaction the readiness of the Belarusian side to actively participate in a whole range of initiatives on a wide range of issues," the diplomat added.
According to Gryzlov, Russia expects that BRICS partners see the benefits of Minsk's involvement in the work of this association.
"At the same time, the final decision on the parameters of further expansion of BRICS will be made on the basis of a consensus of opinions of all participating countries. We intend to work closely with our Belarusian allies to ensure that the republic is among the first to be included in the list of potential partners of the club," he stressed.
The ambassador emphasized that Russia strongly supported the initiative of Belarusian friends to involve them in BRICS activities. In addition, he highlighted Moscow's consistent support for Minsk at various multilateral venues.
"We consider one of the main achievements of this year to be the approval of the Belarusian application for full membership in the SCO — a status that the republic has been seeking for several years and received at the July summit in Astana," the ambassador stated.
He recalled that this year, as part of Russia's presidency of BRICS, the Belarusian side was actively involved in the association's events.
"We are talking about cooperation in the economic and educational spheres, as well as in the cultural, humanitarian and sports areas. Athletes from Belarus performed well at the BRICS Games. The Belarusian delegation, led by the foreign minister, took part in the meeting of the BRICS Foreign Ministers' Council in Nizhny Novgorod in June of this year, and we expect the President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko to attend the summit in Kazan as a guest of the presiding country," Gryzlov added.