Russian President Vladimir Putin stated on Thursday that the BRICS economic bloc may form its own parliament in the future.
Putin told participants at the 10th BRICS Parliamentary Forum in St. Petersburg that frequent meetings of BRICS parliamentarians will help with the establishment of a parliament.
The Russian president praised lawmakers’ efforts to forge ties between BRICS member countries and to address socioeconomic development issues, improve the well-being of nations, reduce international tension, and form “a more just, democratic, multipolar, and multilateral world order.”
Putin emphasized the pressure on people who hold independent opinions, stating that violent coercion, unilateral sanctions, selective application of trade norms, and blackmail violate international law.
Meanwhile, BRICS prioritizes good global economic reforms, with a focus on increasing the participation of national currencies in trade and investment, as well as building safe and dependable financial instruments and mutual settlement procedures, he said.
On the fringes of the event, Putin met separately with the heads of the Chinese and Tanzanian parliaments, Zhao Leji and Tulia Ackson, respectively.
BRICS, founded in 2009 with Brazil, Russia, India, and China, added South Africa in 2011, expanding its name, formed from the first letters of names of the founder countries, to BRICS.
Last December, six more countries joined the group, but it decided to keep its existing name.
