Chairs of the Committees on International Affairs of BRICS Parliaments Conclude Meeting in Moscow

The chairs of the committees on international affairs of BRICS parliaments held their second working meeting on 12 April at the Federation Council of Russia.

The meeting participants discussed potential agenda items and the programme for the upcoming 10th BRICS Parliamentary Forum in St. Petersburg on 11–12 July 2024.

The meeting was attended by Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Konstantin Kosachyov, Chairman of the Federation Council’s Committee on International Affairs (moderator) Grigory Karasin, First Deputy Chairmen of the Federation Council’s Committee on International Affairs Vladimir Dzhabarov, Sergey Kislyak, and Andrey Denisov, Chairman of the State Duma’s Committee on International Affairs Leonid Slutsky, as well as distinguished guests from BRICS countries.

Konstantin Kosachyov said the format of the current meeting of committee chairs has met expectations. “The parliamentary dimension is developing in BRICS,” he said, emphasizing that all BRICS members are collectively making preparations for the 10th Parliamentary Forum.

Kosachyov presented a proposal to designate representatives from each BRICS country responsible for joint work on the Forum agenda and drafting final decisions. The Federation Council’s Committee on International Affairs nominated as its representative the first deputy chairman of the Federation Council’s Committee Sergey Kislyak.

Grigory Karasin outlined the proposals for the programme of the upcoming Forum, which will take place with the participation of the heads of BRICS new member countries’ parliaments, as well as representatives of the international and regional parliamentary organizations from the Commonwealth of Independent States.

“The discussions at the Forum will focus on strengthening multilateral principles in global politics, promoting the common interests of BRICS countries on international platforms, and developing cooperation in the economic, financial, and humanitarian spheres,” Karasin said.

An initiative was also put forward for a meeting of young BRICS parliamentarians and to get women parliamentarians more actively involved in the association’s work.

“Such formats will enable us to dynamically promote the BRICS unification agenda and exchange experience in a more comprehensive manner,” Karasin said.

The meeting participants – chairs of the committees on international affairs of BRICS parliaments (chambers of parliaments) – supported the proposals and put forward their own initiatives on how to strengthen inter-parliamentary cooperation among BRICS countries.

The Roscongress Foundation manages the events of Russia’s BRICS chairship.