BRICS countries working on developing a common position on the Middle East

The BRICS countries are working on developing a joint position on the situation in the Middle East, said Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov.

“I am convinced that the BRICS has a huge potential to work in all regions where there are problems. The Middle East region is on fire. Of course, we, as a co-operation format, cannot stay on the sidelines from this process. Right now, we are at a stage of negotiating an approved collective view of what is happening there today,” he told reporters.

The Russian Deputy Foreign Minister added that in this respect – “practical efforts <...> of the BRICS countries, individually, have already been applied in solving the problems of the Middle East, including the Russian-Chinese naval escort operations during the chemical disarmament in Syria.”

“The next step is the collective involvement of the BRICS, as a unified structure, to work in these areas. This will be one of the most important elements during Russia’s presidency of the organization,” said Mr. Ryabkov.

First published in Russian by RIA Novosti.

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