The BRICS economic bloc does not intend to create a mechanism for a "new dictatorship of the world majority," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday.
"In all our actions, statements, declarations and in practice, all our countries always emphasize that we are always open for honest and equal dialogue," Lavrov said, speaking at a meeting of officials of BRICS countries in Moscow.
BRICS consists of Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Ethiopia.
According to him, there has been a long absence of honest approaches from Western leaders. Equality, he added, "is a rare quality that is clearly lacking."
Lavrov also said that the US and those who "control the global monetary and financial system" have proven that they are "unable to negotiate and cannot be trusted."
"It turned out that all the sacred principles of the free market can be torn up overnight and turned into an instrument of repression for those who are not liked by Washington today. Such a fate can await any country," Lavrov said.
It is under these conditions that regional integration processes such as BRICS are intensifying, Lavrov said, adding that the bloc is "something like a network of cooperation" that will "promote the development of cohesion and integration in the countries of the world majority at the global level."
Commenting on Russia's presidency this year, Lavrov said Moscow will pay great attention to countries that decide to partner with the organization: "The accession of new members to BRICS strengthens the strategic partnership and international position of our association."
"BRICS is fully capable of shaping the global agenda, consistently defending the interests of the world majority, presenting its vision of the contours of the future world order based on objective events, objective development of events, and not on artificial plans designed to slow down the development of humanity."
