Putin says looking forward to developing strategic partnerships with BRICS

MOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia highly values the multifaceted cooperation with BRICS to create a fair multipolar world and equal development conditions for all, in a signed article published on Friday.

In the article for the 9th BRICS Summit to be held in Xiamen, China on Sept 3-5, Putin said he appreciated China's significant contribution as this year's chair of the organization, "which has allowed the BRICS countries as a group to move forward in all key areas of our partnership, including politics, the economy and culture."

The BRICS is the acronym for a group of five emerging economies -- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Originally the first four were grouped as "BRIC" before the inclusion of South Africa in 2010. Since 2009, the BRICS countries have met annually at formal summits.

"It is important that our group's activities are based on the principles of equality, respect for one another's opinions and consensus. Within BRICS, nothing is ever forced on anyone," Putin added, "This open and trust-based atmosphere is conducive to the successful implementation of our tasks".

Putin said Russia stands for closer coordination of the BRICS countries' foreign policies, primarily at the United Nations and Group of 20, as well as other international organizations. "Only the combined efforts of all countries can help bring about global stability and find solutions to many acute conflicts," he wrote in the article.

As for the situation on the Korean Peninsula where tensions have grown recently, Putin said the region's problems should only be settled through a direct dialogue of all the parties concerned without any preconditions. "Provocations, pressure, and militarist and insulting rhetoric are a dead-end road," he wrote.

"Russia and China have created a roadmap for a settlement on the Korean Peninsula that is designed to promote the gradual easing of tensions and the creation of a mechanism for lasting peace and security," Putin said in the article.

Putin also called for promoting the interaction of the BRICS countries in the area of global information security. He proposed that the five countries should come together to draft and adopt universal rules of responsible behavior in this sphere.

In the article, Putin pointed out that though Russia shares the BRICS countries' concerns over the unfairness of the global financial and economic architecture, he felt confident that "the BRICS countries will continue to act in a consolidated manner against protectionism and new barriers in global trade."

"We hope to be able to discuss new large-scale cooperation tasks in trade and investment and industrial cooperation at the Xiamen Summit," Putin said.

"I am convinced that the Xiamen Summit will help invigorate our countries' efforts towards finding solutions to the challenges of the 21st century and will propel cooperation within BRICS to a higher level," he said.