Why Did A Number Of Countries Decide To Ignore BRICS Summit In Kazan?

Has Putin become toxic even for Brazil and Serbia?

The BRICS summit is starting in Kazan, Russia. After the start of the war in Ukraine, Russia is trying to give more importance to this organization as an alternative to the West.

Is Putin able to give a new life to this structure? Charter97.org talked about this and more with Slovak political scientist and President of the Institute of Public Affairs (IVO) (Bratislava) Grigorij Mesežnikov:

— I think not. Firstly, BRICS is still a group of countries that emerged at a time when Russia was not yet perceived as a state that undermines the foundations of international relations and the international order as such. Today, Russia's participation in any such international structure can already create problems for other states.

It is also worth noting that these countries objectively do not have the same interests in everything. Or even contradict each other. If you look at the countries that formed this organization, Brazil is South America, India and China are Asian countries, and the relations between them are very complicated, South Africa is in Africa. In principle, the fact that this organization emerged is an attempt to create some kind of alternative to the rest of the world, but it did not acquire any integration character.

We see which countries are now joining BRICS, for example, the same Iran, it is an aggressor state. Of course, it has many things in common with Russia, but it is unlikely to have any with other countries. I do not think that such cooperation can have any real significance, except for bilateral economic deals, for which no BRICS is needed.

So I generally believe that this is a phantom organization. It is clear that Russia, against the background of international isolation, in which it found itself because of its aggressive policy, is now trying to present relations with any countries that do not directly participate in this isolation, as some kind of great achievement.

In fact, there are no special achievements there. And who they invite or who is trying to join this organization shows that Russia is trying to subjugate this entire structure. Frankly speaking, I think that in the end, the situation may change in those countries that have different relations with the West (like Brazil, India, and perhaps to a lesser extent South Africa) than Russia. Governments may become more open to their traditional partners, and that is the West, the United States, Europe.

Russia is surrounding all this with various statements about what a very “important international association” it is. But in reality, BRICS does not have any strong influence on world politics. Unfortunately, there are people who are trying to support this facade that exists by their personal participation in this summit.

Yesterday I learned that Guterres is supposed to come to Kazan. I don’t know whether he will actually come or not. If the UN Secretary General comes to this event, and to Russia at that, he will be completely discredited.

— Before the summit, there were a number of news items about refusals to come — the Saudi Arabian prince, the Brazilian president at the very last moment, the Serbian president. Does this show a lack of interest in BRICS or is a meeting with Putin in Russia toxic even for these leaders?

— As for Lula, I only yesterday came across the information that he would not come because he had had some kind of injury. Unfortunately, I have not yet had the opportunity to verify this information, but I think it is true.

I do not rule out that some representatives of the countries that have not come now took this as an opportunity not to be considered accomplices of Russia. This event can be truly toxic. All the organizations that Russia initiates and tries to oppose to the rest of the world, they are all toxic.

By the way, Vucic is in Slovakia today, he has a meeting scheduled in Komarno with Viktor Orbán and Robert Fico. They have their own “little BRICS” here. It seems that they intend to discuss the situation with migration. It is quite possible that this agenda will be there, but it seems to me that here we are talking more about demonstrating the common political positions of Slovakia, Serbia and Hungary.

In addition to this component, migration, which was declared as the main content of this meeting, I think that issues of a special approach to the foreign policy agenda will also be discussed there. Slovakia and Hungary are members of the European Union and NATO, but on some issues they have a similar position, which differs from the positions of other EU countries. In Hungary this is especially clearly visible, in Slovakia less so.

This concerns the attitude to the Russian-Ukrainian war, after all, Slovakia has not completely abandoned support for Ukraine — weapons are produced, although purely on a commercial basis, without state support, Ukrainian equipment is repaired. Some arms flows for Ukraine pass through Slovakia, although this is not the main route. Meanwhile, Hungary, in fact, helps Ukraine only in humanitarian terms, and does not provide any military assistance.

I think that this meeting is a certain demonstration on the part of the three leaders who are perceived as authoritarian, especially Vucic and Orbán. But now Fico is approaching them in his domestic political characteristics. This explains why Vucic did not go to the BRICS summit. He probably considered it more important to participate in this meeting here in Slovakia.

— Lukashenka expects that Belarus will join BRICS at the summit in Kazan. Are there any chances of this?

— I think that this is not excluded, Russia will certainly push Belarus. Lukashenka's interest is understandable: he is already so strongly attached to Russia that no matter what it offers or what position it takes, he has already, so to speak, “sucked” too much onto it. He does not have even a minimal alternative, and his unconditional pro-Russian orientation is absolutely obvious. Here, Russia does not necessarily need to put pressure on Belarus if Lukashenka himself wants it.

An interesting situation has just happened with Kazakhstan. There were also expectations that it would join BRICS, but this did not happen. Today I learned that Russia is introducing an embargo on the import of household products from Kazakhstan in response. This is, of course, an amazing thing. How can you invite someone under pressure to some supposedly integration structures, and in case of refusal, introduce some kind of punishment? What kind of international association is this that is looking for new members in this way? This is simply amazing.

I think that if Lukashenka has such an intention, then Russia will push it through. And who among these countries that are now in BRICS can object? To be honest, I do not see any particular objections. Well, who? It would be logical if there was some kind of reaction from Brazil, India and South Africa. There may not be a completely perfect version of democracy, but still these are states considered democratic.

Russia, Iran and China are obvious dictatorships. How can one build some kind of cooperation format in this situation, not of a general, global type, where membership in organizations is provided for by the very fact of existence, like the UN, but in organizations of a different, selective type? BRICS is still a certain club.

How can three formally democratic countries cooperate with aggressor states, Russia and Iran? And China, which supports them, is also a dictatorship country. How can one develop such cooperation — I do not understand at all.

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