Kazakhstan is Interested in Joining BRICS: FM Umarov

Kazakhstan's First Deputy Foreign Minister Kairat Umarov attended the BRICS+ Foreign Ministers Meeting in Cape Town, South Africa.

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It was attended by BRICS member states (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) and specially invited 'Friends of BRICS' countries (Kazakhstan, Argentina, Bangladesh, Burundi, Gabon, DRC, Egypt, Iran, Indonesia, Comoros, UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Uruguay).

Kazakhstan was invited to the forum as the current CICA chairman and future SCO chairman, as reported by Delovoy Kazakhstan, a partner of TV BRICS.

The ministerial forum was held under the theme "Moving from solidarity to collective action to ensure mutually accelerated growth, sustainable development and inclusive multilateralism".

Besides noting the importance of collective efforts to solve today's urgent problems, Umarov recalled the international initiatives of President Kassym-Jomart Kemeluly Tokayev aimed at strengthening international security and stability, in particular the establishment of the UN Regional Hub on SDGs for Central Asia and the International Agency for Biosafety.

The Kazakhstani diplomat drew the forum participants' attention to the synergy of goals, objectives and principles of BRICS, CICA and the SCO, based on the principles of international law and the UN Charter.

He emphasised the high level of trade and economic cooperation between Kazakhstan and the BRICS countries. This is evidenced by the total trade turnover between Kazakhstan and the BRICS countries, which in 2022 exceeded US$50 billion.

"Kazakhstan is interested in joining BRICS, which has already become an effective and efficient platform for the discussion of current issues, serving as an example of cooperation among developing economies," Umarov said.

On the margins of the BRICS Ministerial Meeting, the Kazakh Foreign Ministry representative held talks with Naledi Pandor, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of the Republic of South Africa.

During the meeting Umarov handed the South African minister a letter from the head of state addressed to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.

The sides discussed issues of intensifying bilateral political and economic cooperation, close interaction in multilateral formats, and exchanged views on current international and regional issues of mutual interest.

Umarov also met with the heads of the other delegations attending the ministerial meeting. Kazakhstan is a unitary state with a presidential form of government.

According to the Constitution, the country claims to be a democratic, secular, legal and social state whose highest values are the individual, his life, rights and freedoms.

The main export commodities are products of the mining, fuel and energy, metallurgical and chemical industries, as well as the grain industry.

The republic's main trade partners are Russia, China, and European and CIS countries. Kazakhstan is a member of the Eurasian Economic Union.