ALL MAJOR LEADERS OF MEMBER STATES AT BRICS SUMMIT, PROTECTING MULTIPOLARITY

BEIJING, SEPTEMBER 14 /SRNA/ - The word "justice," which Chinese President Xi Jinping repeated at the BRICS summit, is the key to everything, including the prestige of the UN, which, alongside multipolarity, must also be protected, and that is why BRICS exists, former Serbian Foreign Minister Ivan Mrkić said.

Mrkić said that, in addition to personally attending the summit, Xi had the opportunity to hold numerous bilateral meetings, including those of particular interest to China, the China Media Group reported.

He stressed that what was most important to him was that a bilateral meeting between the Chinese and Indian leaders had been arranged, which was their third meeting in recent times, and he believes this will significantly ease relations between the two most populous countries in Asia.

"By doing so, they are not only strengthening the Global South, but also promoting world peace and international security," Mrkić said.

He added that, following the SOS, President Xi delivered an important speech at the BRICS summit in New Delhi and noted that even stronger cooperation was needed among member and partner countries, while the UN remains an example for all.

According to Mrkić, the Chinese president did not say this because UN Secretary-General António Guterres was present, but because he believes that the UN cannot function in any other way than according to the principles that BRICS is now advocating.

In addition, Mrkić said, Xi advocated the continued unhindered development of all countries regardless of their size, innovative development, mutual learning, peace and stability, and global governance.

"The word `justice` is what President Xi kept repeating, and it is something we so often lack! So often that we forget it, although it is absolutely the key to everything, including the prestige of the UN, which, according to President Xi, must be protected alongside multipolarity. That is BRICS' role and that is why it exists! The Global South must take this into account," Mrkić said.

He noted that all major leaders of the 11 member countries and 10 partner countries attended the BRICS summit in New Delhi on September 12 and 13 this year.

Given that the presidents of the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, travelled to the country led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it was difficult to imagine the leaders of the other BRICS member states not being in India when leaders representing nearly half of the world’s population were gathering there.

Mrkić said this was also an opportunity for a deeper exchange of views on changes in the world, which is visibly becoming increasingly different, while this was only - or already - the 18th BRICS gathering.

He noted that Putin arrived in New Delhi by plane on September 11, adding that, given the Chinese president’s official September visit to Washington, the gathering in Delhi had acquired an additional dimension.

Considering who is part of BRICS, Mrkić said, one can get a true picture of the grouping, noting that all continents are represented, including Asia, the world’s most populous continent.

If Europe and Asia are viewed as one, the largest continental landmass on planet Earth, they are all represented, and these are countries that do not belong to the so-called West.

He recalled that, alongside China, Russia, India, Brazil and South Africa /since 2011/, BRICS also includes Iran - the only Muslim Shia state, Indonesia - the most populous country in the entire Muslim world, Egypt - which has the largest population among Arab states and Ethiopia - the only African country that has never been occupied.

The United Arab Emirates are also part of the grouping, he added, a country known for its wealth, as well as Saudi Arabia, the largest oil exporter in the Gulf, home to Mecca and Medina and one of the major Arab Sunni states.

Mrkić noted that there are also additional candidate countries awaiting an invitation from the member states, which have gathered in India for the 18th time, following South Africa, to once again point out that the G7, the so-called "most developed countries in the world," is lagging behind BRICS in many respects, particularly in development rates and contribution to global trade.