India is a vital contributor to the formation of the global order. It also makes efforts to solve the issues of climate change, raise concerns of the World Majority (or Global South), and promote multilateralism. Today India is in a better place. It has economic and military potential besides diplomacy and soft power, Dr Victoria Panova, Head of the BRIC Expert Council-Russia & Vice Rector of HSE University, Russia told ET’s Dipanjan Roy Chaudhury in the backdrop of the Kazan BRICS summit.
1. What's the main highlight and achievements of the BRICS Chairship under Russia?
The essential aspect that must be mentioned is that Russia’s year of BRICS Chairship is the first year after the expansion. It has been both an honour and a responsibility. We also should not forget that expansion has been unfolding amidst tremendous shifts in the geopolitical landscape wherein BRICS faces serious counteraction from those who wish the changes would rather not happen. Considering this context, Russia’s scrupulous attention to a seamless and harmonious integration of the new members has yielded positive results. With over 200 events throughout the year, the newcomers have started contributing to the dialogue. The Kazan Summit gathered representatives of 35 countries and 6 international organizations, including the UN Secretary General. The new BRICS members surely were in the spotlight. It is a promising beginning.
There has been discussion over the future of BRICS dialogue mechanisms. In close dialogue between Russia as a Chair and other BRICS countries, the grouping has elaborated a set of modalities for interaction with BRICS partner countries. The criteria that were publicly announced include membership in the United Nations, maintaining good-neighbour relations with other states, non-participation in unilateral sanctions against any BRICS country and sharing the principles of BRICS work, including a consensus-based approach to decision-making. Thirteen states have been offered the status of the BRICS partner country. Those include representatives of Southeast, Central and Western Asia, Eastern Europe, Africa, Latin America and the Carribean. Further consultations will continue to receive candidates’ feedback and form a final list, but it is an important step forward.
2. What’s the main goal of BRICS in the current geopolitical & geoeconomics global order? Is BRICS a balancing factor?
As it reads in the Kazan Declaration, the leaders of our countries have reiterated their commitment to improving global governance by promoting a more agile, effective, efficient, responsive, representative, legitimate, democratic and accountable international and multilateral system. The BRICS states strive for making global decision-making processes and structures better attuned to contemporary realities. It has been at the core of the BRICS spirit from the very beginning and remains so today.
BRICS has never positioned itself as a unity against someone else. It has never been “anti-”. This idea is key to understanding the motivations behind BRICS. The grouping is about being “for”: for development, prosperity, and equality. Therefore, I would not say that BRICS is about balancing between different options. Rather, being part of the group means choosing your own path, having it respected by others, providing and receiving support on matters of mutual interest, upholding a constructive and non-confrontational agenda.
3. What is your view on BRICS partner mechanism?
The mechanism of BRICS partner countries is a continuation of the discussion on how BRICS membership should evolve. “Evolve” is an essential term to describe the process as soon as most experts agree that further BRICS expansion should be gradual. As of today, more than 30 countries have applied to join BRICS. Admitting them altogether would make it difficult to preserve the basic value of BRICS, such as consensus-based decision-making. Thus, the status of the BRICS partner country is supposed to be a mid-step before a candidate could become a full member. It is a means of smooth integration for the new members that saves the group from losing in terms of dialogue effectiveness. Such a position will also allow the candidates to join the projects that they find most appealing without excessive strain on their resources. A step-by-step approach will show the candidates whether they are truly ready to fully integrate. For some, remaining a partner country might appear a more preferable choice. Time will show.
4. What can India do more in your opinion in BRICS?
Every BRICS member is sovereign and invests as much of their time and effort into the dialogue as they deem necessary for their national interests. With the 17,79% share of the global population, 7,59% share of the global GDP in PPP terms and also being one of the leaders in AI development, India is a very valuable partner for making meaningful global changes.
From the Russian perspective, India is a vital contributor to the formation of the global order. It also makes efforts to solve the issues of climate change, raise concerns of the World Majority (or Global South), and promote multilateralism. When COVID-19 hit the world, India showed itself as a responsible power by exporting vaccines to nearly 100 countries, living up to its vision of a more inclusive world order.
For decades in the previous century, India did its best to make South Asia remain free of Cold War politics. At that time, the power of New Delhi came primarily from its diplomatic clout through leadership of the nonaligned world. Today India is in a better place. It has economic and military potential besides diplomacy and soft power. Today India acts in accordance with its development needs which is to the benefit of BRICS.
5. How can India and China work together in BRICS overcoming their (regional) differences?
We should remember the part of history when our countries laid ground for their multilateral dialogue in the format of “Russia – India – China” two decades ago. Good relations between China and India are in the interest of the whole international community. During the BRICS Summit in Kazan, Prime-Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping held a bilateral meeting for the first time since 2019. It manifests the fact that there are objectively uniting factors.
India and China are genuinely interested in boosting bilateral trade, reforming the international financial system and strengthening the voice of the Global South. For instance, the volume of Indian-Chinese trade grew up from approximately $1.34 billion in 1995 to $136.2 billion in 2023. There is a significant potential for bilateral dialogue in such sectors as pharmaceuticals, IT, and infrastructure. The two states maintain dialogue within the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. Together with other BRICS members, they also interact in the BRICS New Development Bank, coordinate policies in the World Trade Organization, World Bank, and International Monetary Fund. In the Kazan Declaration, BRICS leaders agreed on the importance of cooperation based on solidarity, mutual respect, justice and equality. These principles are perfectly applicable to the bilateral level between India and China as a way to overcome differences by focusing on the positive aspects and prioritizing them.
1. What's the main highlight and achievements of the BRICS Chairship under Russia?
The essential aspect that must be mentioned is that Russia’s year of BRICS Chairship is the first year after the expansion. It has been both an honour and a responsibility. We also should not forget that expansion has been unfolding amidst tremendous shifts in the geopolitical landscape wherein BRICS faces serious counteraction from those who wish the changes would rather not happen. Considering this context, Russia’s scrupulous attention to a seamless and harmonious integration of the new members has yielded positive results. With over 200 events throughout the year, the newcomers have started contributing to the dialogue. The Kazan Summit gathered representatives of 35 countries and 6 international organizations, including the UN Secretary General. The new BRICS members surely were in the spotlight. It is a promising beginning.
There has been discussion over the future of BRICS dialogue mechanisms. In close dialogue between Russia as a Chair and other BRICS countries, the grouping has elaborated a set of modalities for interaction with BRICS partner countries. The criteria that were publicly announced include membership in the United Nations, maintaining good-neighbour relations with other states, non-participation in unilateral sanctions against any BRICS country and sharing the principles of BRICS work, including a consensus-based approach to decision-making. Thirteen states have been offered the status of the BRICS partner country. Those include representatives of Southeast, Central and Western Asia, Eastern Europe, Africa, Latin America and the Carribean. Further consultations will continue to receive candidates’ feedback and form a final list, but it is an important step forward.
2. What’s the main goal of BRICS in the current geopolitical & geoeconomics global order? Is BRICS a balancing factor?
As it reads in the Kazan Declaration, the leaders of our countries have reiterated their commitment to improving global governance by promoting a more agile, effective, efficient, responsive, representative, legitimate, democratic and accountable international and multilateral system. The BRICS states strive for making global decision-making processes and structures better attuned to contemporary realities. It has been at the core of the BRICS spirit from the very beginning and remains so today.
BRICS has never positioned itself as a unity against someone else. It has never been “anti-”. This idea is key to understanding the motivations behind BRICS. The grouping is about being “for”: for development, prosperity, and equality. Therefore, I would not say that BRICS is about balancing between different options. Rather, being part of the group means choosing your own path, having it respected by others, providing and receiving support on matters of mutual interest, upholding a constructive and non-confrontational agenda.
3. What is your view on BRICS partner mechanism?
The mechanism of BRICS partner countries is a continuation of the discussion on how BRICS membership should evolve. “Evolve” is an essential term to describe the process as soon as most experts agree that further BRICS expansion should be gradual. As of today, more than 30 countries have applied to join BRICS. Admitting them altogether would make it difficult to preserve the basic value of BRICS, such as consensus-based decision-making. Thus, the status of the BRICS partner country is supposed to be a mid-step before a candidate could become a full member. It is a means of smooth integration for the new members that saves the group from losing in terms of dialogue effectiveness. Such a position will also allow the candidates to join the projects that they find most appealing without excessive strain on their resources. A step-by-step approach will show the candidates whether they are truly ready to fully integrate. For some, remaining a partner country might appear a more preferable choice. Time will show.
4. What can India do more in your opinion in BRICS?
Every BRICS member is sovereign and invests as much of their time and effort into the dialogue as they deem necessary for their national interests. With the 17,79% share of the global population, 7,59% share of the global GDP in PPP terms and also being one of the leaders in AI development, India is a very valuable partner for making meaningful global changes.
From the Russian perspective, India is a vital contributor to the formation of the global order. It also makes efforts to solve the issues of climate change, raise concerns of the World Majority (or Global South), and promote multilateralism. When COVID-19 hit the world, India showed itself as a responsible power by exporting vaccines to nearly 100 countries, living up to its vision of a more inclusive world order.
For decades in the previous century, India did its best to make South Asia remain free of Cold War politics. At that time, the power of New Delhi came primarily from its diplomatic clout through leadership of the nonaligned world. Today India is in a better place. It has economic and military potential besides diplomacy and soft power. Today India acts in accordance with its development needs which is to the benefit of BRICS.
5. How can India and China work together in BRICS overcoming their (regional) differences?
We should remember the part of history when our countries laid ground for their multilateral dialogue in the format of “Russia – India – China” two decades ago. Good relations between China and India are in the interest of the whole international community. During the BRICS Summit in Kazan, Prime-Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping held a bilateral meeting for the first time since 2019. It manifests the fact that there are objectively uniting factors.
India and China are genuinely interested in boosting bilateral trade, reforming the international financial system and strengthening the voice of the Global South. For instance, the volume of Indian-Chinese trade grew up from approximately $1.34 billion in 1995 to $136.2 billion in 2023. There is a significant potential for bilateral dialogue in such sectors as pharmaceuticals, IT, and infrastructure. The two states maintain dialogue within the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. Together with other BRICS members, they also interact in the BRICS New Development Bank, coordinate policies in the World Trade Organization, World Bank, and International Monetary Fund. In the Kazan Declaration, BRICS leaders agreed on the importance of cooperation based on solidarity, mutual respect, justice and equality. These principles are perfectly applicable to the bilateral level between India and China as a way to overcome differences by focusing on the positive aspects and prioritizing them.
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