BRICS Summit is to be held on October 23-24 in Kazan, Russia. — IRNA/VNA Photo

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Việt Nam to Russia Đặng Minh Khôi talks to Vietnam News Agency regarding the objectives and significance of the trip to Russia by Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính to attend the BRICS+ Summit on October 23-24, 2024, in Kazan.

Could you tell us about the goals and the significance of Việt Nam's trip to participate in the summit?

Accepting Russian President Vladimir Putin's invitation, Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính will lead the Vietnamese delegation to participate in the BRICS+ Summit 2024 in Kazan, Russia from October 23-24. This is a significant high-level activity of BRICS and partner countries this year, with the participation of leaders from over 30 countries and numerous international and regional organisations.

Under the theme 'BRICS and the Global South: Building the Future of the World Together', the BRICS+ summit will focus on discussing cooperation between BRICS countries and the global south in addressing issues on the international agenda, including regional and international situations, sustainable development, food security and energy security.

This holds special significance amid the increasingly complex global situation characterised by the emergence of numerous challenges that demand enhanced coordination among countries for effective responses.

PM Chính's mission is a critically important high-level foreign affairs activity, affirming Việt Nam's consistent foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralism, diversification of foreign relations, proactive international integration and being a reliable partner and responsible member of the international community.

Việt Nam's participation in this summit also conveys Việt Nam's support for the role of multilateral forums and mechanisms, including BRICS, based on respect for the United Nations Charter (UN Charter) and compliance with international law. This enhances the voice and representation of developing countries in global governance, addresses common challenges, contributes to building a multipolar and equitable world order, and promotes peace, stability and development in the region and globally.

On this occasion, PM Chính also plans to hold meetings and exchanges with high-level leaders of countries and international organisations to comprehensively discuss and boost bilateral relations in areas of mutual interest, review the implementation of agreements, deepening Việt Nam's cooperation with countries and international organisations, contributing to the development and stability of the region and the world.

I believe that this mission of the Vietnamese Government leader will effectively contribute to the activities of the summit, affirming Việt Nam's image as an active, positive, responsible, sincere and friendly country among the international community, contributing to achieving the common goals of peace, security, stability and sustainable development in the region and the world.

How do you assess the frequency of high-level delegation exchanges between Việt Nam and Russia in recent times, and what does it mean in furthering the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries?

PM Chính's participation in the BRICS+ Summit during Russia's BRICS Chairmanship conveys a message about the special relationship between Việt Nam and the Russian Federation, continuing and leveraging the effectiveness of the traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation between the two countries that have been built and consolidated over decades, based on mutual trust, sustainable cooperation and mutual respect.

Within the framework of the meeting, PM Chính is expected to have official meetings with high-level leaders and business leaders of Russia.

This is an opportunity for both sides to advance the implementation of outcomes from previous high-level visits and contacts between the leaders of the two countries, including President Putin's State visit to Việt Nam (June 20, 2024), the phone call between General Secretary, President Tô Lâm and President Putin (August 8, 2024), and the official visit of Chairman of the National Assembly Trần Thanh Mẫn to Russia (September 8-10, 2024).

The leaders of the two countries will focus on discussing major directions for bilateral cooperation in the coming period and exchanging specific issues to address difficulties and challenges in cooperation between the two countries in economic, trade, energy, oil and gas, science and technology, education and culture. This will contribute to further developing the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Việt Nam and Russia, both in breadth and depth, towards commemorating the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations in early 2025.

What is your evaluation of the role of BRICS?

BRICS was established in 2006 at the Foreign Ministers' level, initially comprising Brazil, Russia, India, and China and then was elevated to the State leader-level summit in 2009.

BRICS was founded with the initial goal of becoming a global political, economic, and financial entity to reflect a more equitable, balanced and representative power dynamics.

BRICS cooperation is based on three pillars: political-security, economic-financial and cultural and people-to-people exchanges.

Prominent cooperation mechanisms include the Summit, Foreign Ministers' Meeting, specialised Ministers' Meetings, councils, alliances, specialised cooperation mechanisms, and dialogues with non-member countries.

Over the past 20 years, BRICS has experienced strong developments. In 2010, South Africa officially joined and, as of January 1, 2024, it expanded to include five additional members: Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, UAE and Saudi Arabia.

With the expansion of its membership, BRICS is gradually becoming a collective force of the largest emerging and developing economies, with significant scale and increasing potential. It is becoming a reputable and increasingly influential multilateral organisation with comprehensive cooperation mechanisms that garner growing attention from many countries worldwide.

Particularly noteworthy is that BRICS currently has two permanent members of the UN Security Council, six G20 members and many middle-income countries.

In terms of economic scale, BRICS gathers many emerging economies and dynamic developing economies. To date, BRICS countries account for approximately 37 per cent of global GDP (based on purchasing power parity), make up 50 per cent of the global population, and produce 49 per cent of the world's wheat output, 43 per cent of global oil volume, and 25 per cent of global goods exports.

Impressively, among BRICS members, China leads the world with GDP in purchasing power parity (PPP) totalling US$35 trillion, India ranks third with $14.6 trillion, and Russian ranks fourth with $6.45 trillion (April 2024 World Bank figures).

Furthermore, the economic scale and strength of BRICS are bolstered by the activities of the New Development Bank (NDB) since 2015 and the BRICS Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA).

BRICS member countries are leading in terms of natural resource reserves and minerals and are located at major trade gateways, strategically connecting transportation routes with other continents.

According to research on the value of natural resources such as oil, coal, timber, minerals, and other resources, Russia leads the world with $75 trillion, Saudi Arabia ranks third with $34.4 trillion, Iran ranks fifth with $27.3 trillion, China ranks sixth with $23 trillion), and Brazil ranks seventh with $21.8 trillion.

How do you evaluate Việt Nam's cooperation with BRICS in 2024 and the prospects for the future?

In 2024, as Russia assumes the BRICS Chairmanship, it prioritises enhancing cooperation in three main areas: political-security, economic-financial and cultural-humanitarian under the motto 'Strengthening Multilateralism for Just Global Development and Security'.

The goal is to elevate BRICS' role as an important economic and political centre, increasing BRICS' role in addressing regional and global issues.

Russia has planned approximately 250 activities, conferences and forums in 15 Russian cities this year.

This year's BRICS Summit is the 16th Summit but the first Summit following the BRICS expansion to 10 members, marking the largest-scale foreign event held in Russia in recent years.

The host country highly values Việt Nam's participation in this BRICS+ Summit.

PM Chính's inaugural participation in the BRICS+ Summit in Kazan from October 23-24 opens up new prospects for cooperation between Việt Nam and BRICS. It primarily provides opportunities to deepen extensive cooperation with BRICS member countries and partners, while gaining access to abundant resources and large-scale markets of BRICS to serve the country's development goals. It also offers opportunities for concerted efforts in addressing urgent issues of the global agenda.

Moreover, in 2024, Việt Nam has been invited and participated in various BRICS+ activities at both party and state levels.

Many ASEAN member countries are also interested in and seek to establish cooperation with BRICS. What are your assessments and prospects for cooperation between ASEAN and BRICS?

Many ASEAN member countries are also interested in participating in BRICS at different levels, with leaders and representatives from four ASEAN countries attending this BRICS+ Summit.

Thailand and Malaysia have officially submitted applications to join BRICS. Việt Nam has strong relations with all BRICS member countries, having established Comprehensive Strategic Partnerships with China in 2008, with Russia in 2012, and with India in 2016.

China is currently Việt Nam's largest trading partner, Russia is an important partner in energy and oil and gas, while cooperation between Việt Nam and India is developing robustly.

PM Chính's participation in the BRICS+ Summit opens up new prospects for cooperation between Việt Nam and BRICS, primarily providing opportunities to promote extensive cooperation with BRICS members and partners, while gaining access to abundant resources and the vast markets to serve the country's development goals, as well as opportunities to coordinate efforts in addressing urgent global issues.

I believe that after PM Chính's mission, cooperation between Việt Nam and BRICS members will see even stronger development. — VNS