India
Source: www.dailypioneer.com

On April 10, experts and diplomats gathered online to discuss the cooperation opportunities of BRICS and Africa celebrating 15th anniversary of BRICS. The event was organized despite the new restrictions introduced in Delhi by the BRICS International Forum and its partners.

One of the important initiatives was proposed by Minister of State Jal Shakti Shri Ratanlal Kataria, whose speech was dedicated to the drinking water supply problem relevant for many citizens of both - BRICS and African - countries.

Ved Bushan, representing Delhi Police Mahasangh, has emphasized that technical innovation can help to combat the major challenges the countries are facing now.

Experts agree that not only growing economies, but also having similar backgrounds allow BRICS countries and African ones be partners and establish mutually beneficial relations.

The world has been changing rapidly lately, shifting to a more polycentric model. This implies stepping away from the patterns and institutions, including neocolonial ones, that have been ensuring hegemony and dominance of EU, UK and USA in Africa. One of the most important stages in the process of shaping economic models in Africa was the Cotonou trade agreement.

BRICS countries won't impose paternalistic models on Africa, says Professor Akuhmbom Macanthony from Cameroon, emphasizing that it creates a more comfortable environment and brings better negotiation positions to Africa, giving it the power of choice, which they didn't have during the "postcolonial" period.

"Another beautiful thing about BRICS is that Russia and China have been "on the right side of history" supporting the struggles for independence from imperialism and against apartheid in Africa", - he says, which lays better foundations for partnerships. Now we also see the res-erection of the non-alignment movements and spirit of sovereignty, especially with the pandemic that has destroyed the narrative of the new liberalism, again, making many go back to the African Ubuntu philosophy.

Professor Akuhmbom Macanthony specifies that at the moment Russia and China play an important role in ensuring security on the continent, creating a balance of power in the most troubled areas, like CAR, DRC and other ones where France tends to support rebel groups that destabilize those territories.

What else does Russia have to offer? Aside for traditional cooperation areas, such as security, weapons, and mineral resources, now Russia is taking its technologies to the continent: digital, agricultural, medical and educational solutions. African leaders have expressed enthusiasm in response to the initiatives of the Russia-Africa summit that took place in 2019, says Dr Eric Edi from Thomas Jefferson University (USA).

"In terms of relations with Russia, China and India, and comparing to the EU, it has been more about technology transfer than resources extraction," - says Dr Eric Edi.

China's role on the continent has been the most important one due to tens of large-scale infrastructural projects implemented and billions of US dollars of investment. For some countries of the African continent China is the trading partner number one. Yet, many experts express scepticism as this implies dependency and huge debt accumulating, Professor Macanthony highlights.

India as a fast growing economy, has been actively increasing cooperation in Africa as well, now offering a wide range of technologies and services - from IT solutions to complex healthcare equipment.

Volker Tschapke from the German Federal Association for Economic Development and Foreign Trade (BWA) suggests that if the sanctions were lifted, Germany, Russia, China and India could work on joint projects in Africa making sure that the best practices are being implemented for the benefit of the people.

Referring to the current economic and business relationships, Dr. Ghnaka Lagoke mentions that the current global system was shaped by the USA back in 1945, after the WWII, when a number of institutions were created in the name of peace and stability (UN, WTO and other ones). These institutions have been setting the framework for trade and economy, through which external actors could also affect politics to a huge extent, making African countries sell their resources at extremely low prices and bringing the money back in controlled aid through IMF and other institutions, thus making the continent lose around 100 billion US dollars per year.

The Commonwealth, as another colonial institution, created to promote the interests of the UK in the (ex)colonies and further, is now losing its power, resources and credibility now that countries are becoming more and more sovereign and independent.

At the same time BRICS that is less institutionalized on the one hand, and more resonating in terms of values and approaches on the other, so it is perceived as a group of strong and promising partners.

Possible cooperation areas, as experts say, are yet to be explores, but it's already clear that multilayer joint activities would be beneficial not only for their own sake, but also as a factor giving additional negotiation power in Africa - EU relations.

"This is just the beginning, and very soon we will see more and more joint projects between BRICS and Africa implemented in cultural, humanitarian, academic and business areas," - concludes Purnima Anand, president of the BRICS International Forum.

India
Source: newsonair.com

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today emphasised the importance of BRICS countries in responding to the COVID-19 crisis through policy support and enhancing international coordination. She highlighted that the world's largest COVID vaccine drive by India is under way and the country has also supplied 64.5 million vaccine doses to 84 countries. She said this while jointly chairing the meeting of BRICS Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors virtually along with RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das.

Speaking on the importance of social infrastructure and use of digital technologies, she underscored the merit in engaging with the private sector and exploring the innovative financing models. She also talked about thematic priorities for New Development Bank for discussion during 2021 and the issues of membership expansion.

This was the first meeting of the BRICS Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors under India Chairship in 2021. During the meeting they discussed a financial cooperation agenda set by India for 2021. It includes Global Economic Outlook and Response to COVID-19 pandemic, New Development Bank Activities, Social Infrastructure Financing and Use of Digital Technologies, Cooperation on Customs related issues, IMF reforms and BRICS Bond Fund.

India
Source: www.mea.gov.in

Shri Arindam Bagchi, Offical Spokesperson: His Excellency, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Honourable Minister of External Affairs of India, Dr. S. Jaishankar. Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, Good afternoon and warm welcome to you for the special press interaction that we have today on the occasion of the visit of His Excellency Sergey Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, to our country. We will begin with statements to the media from both Ministers. May I now request Honourable External Affairs Minister of India, Dr. S. Jaishankar, to make opening remarks.

Dr. S. Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister: Thank you Arindam. I am delighted to address you all at the conclusion of my talks today with my Russian counterpart, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Of course none of you would be surprised to learn that the discussions were very warm, they were comprehensive and they were very productive.

Time-tested is a frequently used and clearly justified description of India-Russia relations. Though the world has changed in the last seven decades and there have been different governments at both ends, our ties, I am sure Minister Lavrov would agree, have remained uniquely strong and steady. And the reason for that has been our consistent ability to identify and update our shared interests. We are both cognisant of the multi-polar and rebalanced nature of international relations today. We both understand the importance of our relationship to global peace, security and stability. And, therefore, as Foreign Ministers, we work hard to deliver on that responsibility.

Much of our discussions today covered the preparations for President Putin's visit for the Annual Summit later this year. I am sure Minister Lavrov would share my assessment that our bilateral cooperation remains energetic and forward looking. We talked about longstanding partnership in nuclear, space and defence sectors. We assessed positively our economic cooperation, noting the new opportunities in Russian Far East. We spoke of connectivity, including the International North-South Transport Corridor and the Chennai-Vladivostok Eastern Maritime Corridor. Our rapidly expanding energy cooperation that now includes long term commitments was also on the agenda. On my part, I briefed Minister Lavrov on recent developments in India that open up new opportunities for Russian businesses in various sectors. The Atmanirbhar Bharat economic vision can facilitate a more contemporary economic relationship in the post-Covid era.

This review of our bilateral cooperation was really encouraging. We note the appetite for greater investments in each other by both countries. Russian support for our Gaganyaan programme has progressed which we deeply appreciate. Our defence sector requirements in the past year were expeditiously addressed. And in meeting the Covid challenge, our pharmaceutical collaboration has become more serious and as many of you are aware we have a Russian vaccine under discussion for production in India.

There was naturally an exchange of views and assessments on important regional and global matters. This had a particular importance because we are both members of the UN Security Council right now. We are a non-permanent member, Russia is a permanent member. Issues on which India is chairing UNSC committees came up in some detail. India has also taken over the Chair of BRICS and RIC from Russia for this year. And our common membership of the G-20, ASEAN-led forums, SCO and CICA added to the substance of our conversation.

One question on which we spent some time is the unfolding developments in and around Afghanistan. As you all know, the Heart of Asia – Istanbul Process conference took place last week, I was in Dushanbe for that. There have been other discussions of a bilateral or plurilateral nature as well. Many more can be expected in the coming days. For India, what happens in Afghanistan impacts its security directly. I shared our approach that a durable peace there would require harmonising interests of all, both within and around that country. The peace process must be based on foundational principles to which we all subscribe. And a political solution should mean an independent, sovereign, united and democratic Afghanistan.

There was an exchange of views on West Asia, the Gulf and Iran. This is a geography where we both have longstanding equities and our active diplomacy reflects that to great measure. Peace and stability in such a sensitive and vital region is in global interest.

I shared our view-point on the Indo-Pacific. As our Prime Minister pointed out at the Shangri-La Dialogue some years ago, contemporary challenges require countries to work together in new and different ways. Such cooperation also reflects the multi-polar and rebalanced character of global politics. India is strongly committed to ASEAN centrality and this is underlined by the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative that it has been advocating at the East-Asia summit. As we implement our Act East and beyond policy, Russia is a very important partner. Whether it is their Far East or whether it is the Chennai-Vladivostok Corridor.

In addition, of course, there was the larger backdrop of global political changes that provided a context for our talks today. As longstanding partners, we could discuss their implications with a high degree of confidence and comfort. I valued the quality of our discussions today very much. We have completed a decade of our special and privileged strategic partnership. And that certainly permeated the tenor of our discussions. We also reviewed the forthcoming high level exchanges leading up to the Annual Summit this year. Once again, Minister Lavrov, it is a great pleasure to welcome you back to New Delhi. I would request you to make your statement.

Mr Sergey Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation: Ladies and gentlemen, I share same assessment that my friend mentioned, Mr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. Our talks have been very constructive, confident and useful, as it goes in our relations between Russia and India. These ties are valuable, mutually respectful and they are not subjected to political fluctuations. We noted with satisfaction that despite the pandemic, we were able to preserve the dynamic bilateral political dialogue. We both agree that this attests to the maturity and remarkable resilience of our relations that can be characterised in our documents signed at the highest level, particularly privilege strategic partnership. We focused on the content of the planned bilateral context, including at the highest level, I mean, here the visit of the President of the Russian Federation to India. I conveyed to my colleague, the message from Mr. Putin to Mr. Modi, including on these issues.

We agreed to joint efforts to overcome the declining mutual trade caused by the pandemic. We are going to build up investment according to the National programmes in our respective countries. We also discussed energy including nuclear energy, peaceful exploration of the space, transportation, infrastructure projects, including in the Russian Far East and in the Arctic. To this end, we are going to organise meeting of co-chairs as well as the scheduled meeting of the intergovernmental Russian-Indian Commission on trade and economic, scientific and technological as well as cultural cooperation.

We agreed that we need to galvanise the work on the renewed intergovernmental agreement on mutual security of investment as well as increasing the share of national currency in respective settlements. Working on the trade and economic interaction with New Delhi is one of the priorities of the Eurasian Economic Union in accordance with the agreements previously achieved. We hope to launch as soon as possible talks on the free trade area between India and Eurasian Economic Union based on mutual benefit. We discussed bilateral military cooperation including state of the art weapons manufacturing. In this strategically important area, Russia is a major foreign contractor for New Delhi. We are the only partner that indeed transfers to India, cutting edge military technologies. I'm sure that the deepening of the Russian Indian military cooperation serves national interests of both countries. At the same time we respect the right of our Indian friends to diversify its ties in this area. We are also positive about cooperation in the area, as I already mentioned, the peaceful exploration of Space in such avenues as manned programmes, rocket engine building and satellite navigation.

The exchange of views on thorny issues of today shows proximity or similarity of our stances. We discuss such issues as peaceful settlement in Afghanistan, Syrian crisis, situation around Iran's nuclear programme, situation in Yemen. We also discussed the situation in the Eurasian continent and in Asia Pacific in general, including our ties with ASEAN. Both parties highlighted the importance of preserving the central role of ASEAN in various formats established in this region. We hold in high regard, Russian Indian relationships in the international arena, including in the UN, SCO, G20, BRICS, where New Delhi is a top person. We highlighted the demand of interaction in the format, Russia-India-China, as well as the Summits of Eastern Asia. We are grateful to Indian partners for their responsible approach in international affairs, and we are grateful for the facilitation in issues that are important to us. We are satisfied by the outcomes of the talks and we wish you every success in your role as the UNSC non-permanent member, and I hope that we'll be able to deepen our multifaceted cooperation. I invited my friend and colleague to Russia, and I hope that this will take place in foreseeable future. Thank you.

Shri Arindam Bagchi, Offical Spokesperson: Thank you very much Excellency. I will now invite questions for the dignitaries. Unfortunately, I know there's a lot of interest, but given the time constraints, we will be limiting to two questions from the Indian media and two from the Russian media. For the first question perhaps, Rezaul Hasan Laskar from the HT.

Mr. Rezaul Hasan (Journalist, The Hindustan Times): My question is for the Russian Foreign Minister. Good afternoon, Rezaul Hasan from the Hindustan Times. In recent years and in recent times, there's been growing political trust and military cooperation between China and Russia and this has led to some speculation in some quarters about a possibility of a China-Russia military alliance. Does the foreign minister think that the two countries are heading in that direction?

Mr Sergey Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation: No. We have fixed that in our bilateral relations, adopted at the highest level in the course of the Russia-China summit, where we said that our relations are at the highest in the history. But these relations do not pursue a goal of establishing a military alliance. By the way, we've heard speculations about pro military alliance, not only regarding Russia-China relations, we also heard about such alliances allegedly being promoted such as Middle East NATO and we also heard about Asian NATO. Today we exchanged views on this and our Indian friends have the same position as we. We believe that this is counterproductive. We are interested in inclusive cooperation that is for something not against somebody.

Shri Arindam Bagchi, Offical Spokesperson: Next question to Russian journalists. Igor Zhdanov from Russia Today.

Mr. Zhdanov (Journalist, Russia Today): Thank you. This is Zhdanov from RT. My question is to both ministers, it is on vaccine cooperation. There's a good chance that Russia Sputnik V vaccine might be approved for emergency use in India. So have you discussed maybe doing something similar about the Indian vaccine Covaxin in Russia? And on the back of this maybe a quick comment if I may from the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on current affairs, I will switch to Russian on that. How would you comment on the latest statements of highly placed Ukrainian officials and military personnel regarding Russia as the main aggressor in the Donbass conflict, how big is the risk of the Donbass conflict turning into an active phase?

Mr Sergey Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation: As for the vaccine, you are right in stating that we have tied cooperation with our Indian friends on this issue. The Russian fund of direct investment, signed contracts with several Indian contractors to manufacture Sputnik V vaccine, about 700-750 million doses and this is possible because of the manufacturing capacity in India. I do not exclude that further cooperation also would cover the manufacturing of the Indian vaccine in Russia; I guess that the experts are supposed to discuss these and to assess the efficiency of such a cooperation.

As for the statement of the Ukrainian government there have been a lot of analytical articles. We are concerned by this. We told this to our European colleagues as well, we are hopeful that there is an understanding of what's happening in Washington but unfortunately, the response and actions of our Western colleagues on the building up of the military infrastructure as well as the transfer of the troops to the contact line in Donbass is disappointing. Western colleagues still believe that they need to, in all ways possible support the Ukrainian authorities including their unacceptable statements and actions. Remember when President Zelensky repeatedly as well as those responsible for the Normandy contact group on Donbass, repeatedly stated that Minsk agreements are needed only to preserve sanctions of the West against Russia, or they ask for a complete revision of the Minsk agreements or they also suggest breaching the agreed format, they invite pro Ukrainian representatives into the Normandy format and the contact group. All of this is lamentable, and there is no response to these statements. There has been none from our Western colleagues. Although we see a flagrant violation of all the Minsk agreements by the Kiev and now Kiev turned from political violations to the threat of military action. Perhaps this would help to shake these friendly approach towards Ukraine from the European capitals, and they would demand that Mr. Zelensky fulfils Minsk agreements fully, for them to start through the dialogue with the Donetsk and Luhansk in actions, the Minsk agreements because he's supposed to overcome threats in the area of security, stop the shelling of the civil infrastructure that leads to the death toll among the civilians, not for the first time. And of course, they need to determine in this direction like the issue of the final status of the areas that I'm talking about. They need to settle the date for the elections, all of this is well known. Unfortunately, every time the Normandy format meetings take place, be it at the level of leaders or at the level of representatives or foreign ministry stuff, we see no proactive steps from our French and German colleagues to influence our Ukrainian colleagues. Now, it's too obvious that this needs to be done immediately.

Dr. S. Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister: On the vaccines issue which was also addressed to me, we had a discussion and clearly that decision has to be taken by our regulatory authorities. And for us, were those vaccines to be made in India, it would be one more affirmation of the importance of Made in India and our own vaccine capacities. But on your other question of Covaxin, I think if my memory serves me right, so far, we have sent Covaxin perhaps to three or four countries abroad. And we would certainly like to promote both Made in India and invented in India. So, it is something I'm sure in due course, we would address. On that note, I should also share with you that in our discussions on the economic and business opportunities between India and Russia, I drew to Minister Lavrov's attention the fact that we have a very ambitious programme called Production Linked Incentives to expand manufacturing in India in 13 designated sectors. We believe that this would be a good opportunity for Russian businesses, to look at partnerships in India because one thing is very clear that in the post-COVID world, all of us are going to be very sensitive about our supply chains. All of us would like to be much more secure about, whether it is food, whether it is health or whether it is actually the requirements of our daily economy. So, in all of this, I do see a new opportunity today for India-Russia economic collaboration.

Shri Arindam Bagchi, Offical Spokesperson: Thank you. The next question is from Indian side, Pranay Upadhyay from ABP News.

Mr. Pranay Upadhyay (Journalist, ABP News): My question is to Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov. Sir since Moscow is taking a lead in the peace process of Afghanistan, what is your view about any future power sharing agreement where Taliban gets a greater role? Do you think that this would stabilise the situation in Afghanistan and more so being a major power in the region, is Russia inclined towards taking a role of responsibility in being a net security provider in the situation. Also, since Russia is actively involved in this region, and since you had a discussion with the Indian Foreign Minister, what are the areas of cooperation you have identified, both of you have identified as far as India-Russia cooperation in Afghanistan is concerned?

Mr Sergey Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation: As for the Taliban, the Taliban movement is part of the Afghan society. And decisions on the settlements in Afghanistan should foresee the participation of all political as well as ethnic and religious groups of Afghanistan; otherwise, it's not going to be stable. This decision has to be based on the balance of political, ethnic and religious interests, including the representation in the borders of power. Any other way that foresees the exclusion of any group from this process will not lead to the agreements that could be implementable and sustainable. All of these would be fraught with the risk of the resumption of the hostilities, which is not anybody's desire. I mean the members of the process. I will remind that the previous administration agreed with the Taliban movement, and hopefully they would be implemented. They created a window of opportunities to reach agreement between all the hostile parties, it would be sad if it breaks.

As for providing security in Afghanistan it depends primarily on whether the settlement will be achieved in a fast and efficient way. It's supposed to take into account the issue of the political settlement as well as security and safety. For many years, we've been doing a lot to strengthen the potential of the Afghan security forces, the army, we train them, we send them military purpose production, sometimes free and sometimes on easy conditions. And when Afghanistan reconciles, when the settlement of all political issues happens, the international community will be able to be more active in assisting with the strengthening of the Afghanistan's security forces. We should also take into account the regional context, we would welcome along with the domestic settlement of Afghanistan, and we would welcome the consultations and talks on how to reinforce such agreements with the confidence building measures, strengthening of security, with the involvement of the neighbours of Afghanistan. We have similar positions with India. We always say that neighbours and all powerful actors in the region should set up conditions for the Afghanistani population to agree domestically. And as for the involvement of external actors, the best way here is to advocate the Moscow format. We brought together several times the participants of the format. These are not only neighbours of Afghanistan, but all Central Asia countries India, Pakistan, China, Iran, the USA and the Russian Federation. We stand ready to hold respective consultations and meetings, if need be, if it is found appropriate by all of the countries that I've just enumerated. I hope that this would give an impetus to the Afghani talks that started in the capital of Qatar, Doha, but it was faced by grave problems and was suspended. I'll remind that there are number of factors that we need to sort out to understand how to further settle the conflict in terms of our external contribution in setting up all the necessary conditions. We agree with Minister Jaishankar that our representatives on Afghanistan who keep tight contacts regularly.

Shri Arindam Bagchi, Offical Spokesperson: Next question, to the Russian Federation, Leila Turayanova from TASS.

Ms.Leila Turayanova (Journalist, TASS): The first question is to you, Minister Lavrov, you mentioned earlier that US is applying pressure on India against military technical cooperation with Russia. Did this make the implementation of the existing agreements in the process of negotiations on new contracts more difficult? Is India considering the possibility of acquiring additional S 400 regiments from Russia despite their threat of US sanctions?

Mr Sergey Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation: Right, in fact, it wasn't me who stated that the US exercises pressure on India, but any other country that wants to sign agreements with Russia on the delivery of weapons that has such contracts. The USA says this overtly, we all well know this, but we also know the reciprocal reaction, the response of India. We did not discuss these statements from the USA. Instead, we confirmed that we are going to deepen our military cooperation. We have intergovernmental committee on the military technical cooperation that has its own plans. We also discuss the prospect of an additional manufacturing of the Russian military equipment in India within the concept Made in India and within the concept of the independent India. So here, I didn't feel any fluctuations or changes from our Indian partners and friends.

Dr. S. Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister: I think the Minister has answered your question, which was we didn't get into any specific discussions. That is a responsibility of a different body which is headed by our Defence Ministers, which is due to meet at the end of the year.

Shri Arindam Bagchi, Offical Spokesperson: Thank you Honourable Ministers. This concludes the press interaction session. I thank you all for being here in person. Bye. DISCLAIMER: This has the approximate translation of remarks by Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. Original remarks were delivered in Russian.

India
Source: www.mea.gov.in

I am delighted to address you all at the conclusion of my talks today with my Russian counterpart, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Of course none of you would be surprised to learn that the discussions were very warm, they were comprehensive and they were very productive.

2. Time-tested is a frequently used and clearly justified description of India-Russia relations. Though the world has changed in the last seven decades and there have been different governments at both ends, our ties, I am Sure Minister Lavrov would agree, have remained uniquely strong and steady. And the reason for that has been our consistent ability to identify and update our shared interests. We are both cognisant of the multi-polar and rebalanced nature of international relations today. We both understand the importance of our relationship to global peace, security and stability. And, therefore, as Foreign Ministers, we work hard to deliver on that responsibility.

3. Much of our discussions today covered the preparations for President Putin's visit for the Annual Summit later this year. I am sure Minister Lavrov would share my assessment that our bilateral cooperation remains energetic and forward looking. We talked about longstanding partnership in nuclear, space and defence sectors. We assessed positively our economic cooperation, noting the new opportunities in Russian Far East. We spoke of connectivity, including the International North-South Transport Corridor and the Chennai-Vladivostok Eastern Maritime Corridor. Our rapidly expanding energy cooperation that now includes long term commitments was also on the agenda. On my part, I briefed Minister Lavrov on recent developments in India that open up new Opportunities for Russian businesses in various sectors. The Atmanirbhar Bharat economic vision can facilitate a more contemporary economic relationship in the post-Covid era.

4. This review of our bilateral cooperation was really encouraging. We note the appetite for greater investments in each other by both countries. Russian support for our Gaganyaan programme has progressed which we deeply appreciate. Our defence sector requirements in the past year were expeditiously addressed. And in meeting the Covid challenge, our pharmaceutical collaboration has become more serious and as many of you are aware we have a Russian vaccine under discussion for production in India.

5. There was naturally an exchange of views and assessments on important regional and global matters. This had a particular importance because we are both members of the UN Security Council right now. We are a non-permanent member, Russia is a permanent member. Issues on which India is chairing UNSC committees came up in some detail. India has also taken over the Chair of BRICS and RIC from Russia for this year. And our common membership of the G-20, ASEAN-led forums, SCO and CICA added to the substance of our conversation.

6. One question on which we spent some time is the unfolding developments in and around Afghanistan. As you all know, the Heart of Asia – Istanbul Process conference took place last week, I was in Dushanbe for that. There have been other discussions of a bilateral or plurilateral nature as well. Many more can be expected in the coming days. For India, what happens in Afghanistan impacts its security directly. I shared our approach that a durable peace there would require harmonising interests of all, both within and around that country. The peace process must be based on foundational principles to which we all subscribe. And a political solution should mean an independent, sovereign, united and democratic Afghanistan.

7. There was an exchange of views on West Asia, the Gulf and Iran. This is a geography where we both have longstanding equities and our active diplomacy reflects that to great measure. Peace and stability in such a sensitive and vital region is in global interest.

8. I shared our view-point on the Indo-Pacific. As our Prime Minister pointed out at the Shangri-La Dialogue some years ago, contemporary challenges require countries to work together in new and different ways. Such cooperation also reflects the multi-polar and rebalanced character of global politics. India is strongly committed to ASEAN centrality and this is underlined by the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative that it has been advocating at the East-Asia summit. As we implement our Act East and beyond policy, Russia is a very important partner. Whether it is their Far East or whether it is the Chennai-Vladivostok Corridor.

9. In addition, of course there was the larger backdrop of global political changes that provided a context for our talks today. As longstanding partners, we could discuss their implications with a high degree of confidence and comfort. I valued the quality of our discussions today very much. We have completed a decade of our special and privileged strategic partnership. And that certainly permeated the tenor of our discussions. We also reviewed the forthcoming high level exchanges leading up to the Annual Summit this year. Once again, Minister Lavrov, it is a great pleasure to welcome you back to New Delhi. I request you to make your statement.

Russia
Source: www.mid.ru

Question: With India and Russia set to resume high-level engagements after the Covid-19 crisis, what will be priorities for bilateral agenda in 2021?

Sergey Lavrov: Russia is satisfied with the vigorous political dialogue with India on all levels that keeps on actively developing despite serious restrictions caused by the coronavirus pandemic. In 2020 we managed to successfully organize several events in face-to-face and online formats. Summits of the SCO and BRICS – a new type of multilateral associations where our countries cooperate fruitfully – are among them.

This year New Delhi holds BRICS chairmanship – we wish our Indian friends every success and are willing to contribute in every possible way in this regard. India has also joined the activities of the UN Security Council as its non-permanent member. We intend to continue close interaction within the mentioned as well as other international platforms.

We hope that the epidemiological situation would allow us to organize a bilateral summit in 2021. The dates of next sessions of the Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technical and Cultural Cooperation, Inter-Governmental Commission on Military and Military and Technical Cooperation and Inter-Parliamentary Commission are under consideration.

Given the need to overcome negative consequences of the pandemic for the world and national economies, our definite priorities include intensification of the Russian-Indian practical cooperation in areas such as trade, energy, agriculture, transport, finance and banking, science and technology, humanitarian ties.

I am convinced that the negotiations with my colleague Dr Subramaniam Jaishankar during my visit to New Delhi will promote further strengthening of the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership that unites us.

Question: During your recent visit to China, did you come away with any fresh insights from your interactions with the Chinese leadership regarding India-China relations? How does Russia currently see its relations with India and China, especially in view of Moscow's efforts to help reduce tensions related to the border standoff in Ladakh?

Sergey Lavrov: We are closely watching the process of normalization at the Line of Actual Control, functioning as the India-China border. We welcome the agreements reached after the telephone conversation between the Foreign Ministers of India and China on February 25, 2021, aimed at resolution of the situation.

We highly appreciate the constructive approach demonstrated by both sides. We pay due respect to the intensions of New Delhi and Beijing to act independently and within the frameworks of established multilayer bilateral dialogue mechanisms, without interference from outside. We expect both states as responsible members of the international community to find mutually acceptable political and diplomatic ways to remove existing differences at the earliest.

Question: Russia has acknowledged India's interests in Afghanistan and in efforts to find a solution to the situation in Afghanistan. However, India was not part of the recent "extended Troika" meeting in Moscow, and some even speculated this was done at the behest of Pakistan. What role does Russia see for India in efforts to find a settlement in Afghanistan?

Sergey Lavrov: India is important player in the settlement in Afghanistan and undoubtedly should be engaged in international efforts supporting the Afghan national reconciliation.

New Delhi is not a participant of the extended "Troika" on Afghanistan, in the framework of which Moscow hosted intra-Afghan consultations on March 18 aimed at facilitation of the launch of peace process in the country. At the same time India is part of the Moscow format uniting the neighbouring states of Afghanistan, key regional countries and the USA. Such a composition allows to coordinate the assistance to national reconciliation process based on broad regional consensus. As the Afghan peace process moves forward, we are planning to resume the work of this mechanism.

Russia
Source: valdaiclub.com

The European Union and BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) are formally similar interstate organisations according to the institutional theory of international relations. However, in reality they are antagonists, and their antagonism is conceptual — the EU and BRICS embody the old and the new in international politics and the methods of interstate institutional cooperation. Now that legitimate grounds have arisen to question the future of institutional forms of interstate cooperation in principle, the fates of the EU and BRICS are of equal interest for understanding the foundations on which these states can preserve such major achievements of the 20th century.

The aim of this report is to analyse the national approaches of the BRICS countries to today's Europe, its role in world affairs and the priorities of national governments in this area. Based on this analysis, the BRICS countries will be able to gradually develop a strategy for cooperating with major external partners.

To some extent, this report is an experiment that applies to the EU the very approach that the EU has long taken towards the outside world: today's Europe is treated here not as a leading player but as an object of the national policies and strategies of a group of large states, two of which — India and China — are the first and second most populous countries in the world. It is unlikely that in the future BRICS-EU relations will be based on parity between the two associations. The history of international politics is devoid of such examples for a reason. As they develop, regional interstate associations inevitably strive to create a collective interest based on the national interests and values of their participants. While certainly useful for their sustainability, this inevitably fuels egotism in relations with external partners, all the more so as foreign policy values continue to become an increasingly divisive factor in interstate relations.

Russia
Source: valdaiclub.com

On April 8, the Valdai Club presented its new report titled "The Future Talks to the Past: BRICS Countries' Strategies Towards the European Union". The authors of the report examined the relations between each of the BRICS countries and the European Union, as well as individual European states, and analysed their similarities and differences.

The moderator of the event, Timofei Bordachev, Programme Director of the Valdai Discussion Club, said that the very existence of the BRICS group is an interesting phenomenon of modern international life, which testifies to the development of multi-polarity and an increase in the number of major powers pursuing an independent policy, not adhering to big associations. At the same time, they are able to coordinate this policy with each other. In his opinion, BRICS can be considered a prototype of what international cooperation should look like in the future. Unlike the usual international associations striving for homogeneity and unified positions, BRICS is by definition based on the principle of equality. Among the "five" there can be no single leader, as in the structures of the collective West, its members are too large and independent to impose their points of view on each other. So, it is interesting to see how each of its participants builds relations with Europe, with which all the BRICS countries have some degree of common history, and whether they have a certain common approach.

Vasily Kashin, Senior Research Fellow at the Central Research and Development Institute of the Higher School of Economics, the author of the report chapter on China, stressed that China's reassessment of its place in relation to Europe has been going on for a long time. At the same time, according to him, although politically Europe as a participant in international relations is not highly valued, the importance of Europe is constantly growing in the eyes of Chinese policymakers. In fact, Europe, which traditionally plays a huge role in China's foreign economic relations and has long been a key source of innovation and technology for the PRC, has become the subject of an on-going struggle, one of the main theatres of the American-Chinese rivalry; the outcome is likely to directly depend on the success of China's policy on Europe. At the same time, Beijing, realising the importance of the EU, sees the weakness of Europe as a major player, in connection with which it uses harsh rhetoric and demonstrates its readiness to speak with the Europeans from a position of strength. According to the expert, this excessive arrogance in some cases begins to harm Chinese officials and diplomats.

Nivedita Kapoor, Associate Research Fellow with the Observer Research Foundation's Strategic Studies Programme and co-author of the chapter on India, pointed to the changing relationship between India and Europe and the expansion of contacts between them. At the same time, she highlighted two topics — relations with the European Union as a whole and relations with individual countries, adding that relations with individual countries, including many of India's traditional partners, are developing much better. Regarding relations with the EU, there is a dialogue, but strategic cooperation is not being implemented. The expected breakthrough never materialised, although the parties consider each other strategic partners. India pins special hopes on cooperation in the field of climate and green technologies.

Dmitry Suslov, Deputy Director of CCEMI at the National Research University Higher School of Economics, who wrote the chapter on Russian interaction with the EU, emphasised the historically special nature of this interaction. He believes that Russia has gone from a unique relationship associated with attempts to create a kind of commonality with the European Union — the so-called Greater Europe — to the same approach as the rest of the BRICS countries, that is, to the perception of Europe as one of the important partners, but no more. Russia, unlike other centres of world power, was for some time viewed by the EU as an object for Europeanisation and inclusion in the European periphery. In the mid-2000s Russia rejected this model, but it did not abandon the idea of exclusive relations with Europe, proposing instead the integration of the EU and Russian-centric integration projects — an "integration of integrations" and the creation of "common spaces". However, this model also failed, and Russian-European relations are at an impasse. Suslov believes that the way out of this impasse is the rejection of the idea of unique relations and the transition to normal interaction as neighbours.

Russia
Source: valdaiclub.com

BRICS Summits demonstrate how geographically distant countries with different social and economic challenges can become partners and generate a convergence that changes the axis of international politics and financial structures. BRICS aims to move forward based on openness, solidarity, mutual understanding and trust, writes Valdai Club expert Nivedita Das Kundu.

"BRICS is based on the spirit of equality, mutual understanding, trust and respect. It offers inclusive and innovative solutions to many longstanding challenges"

S. Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister, Government of India

"Parallel activities at a people-to-people level and in domains ranging from culture to science, technology and innovation have also gathered momentum. In the last decade and a half, BRICS has made its presence felt in the important debates of our times"

S. Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister, Government of India


The BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) is a grouping of fast-emerging economies with huge market potential. BRICS has been a beacon of multilateralism based on equality, mutual respect and trust. Since the first meeting between the BRIC Foreign Ministers on the UN (United Nations) General Assembly's sidelines in New York in 2006 the BRICS had come far. India will be hosting the 13th BRICS summit in 2021. The 13th BRICS Summit is going to be held under India's Chairship. It will be the third time that India will be hosting the BRICS Summit after 2012 and 2016. India kicked off its BRICS Chairship with the inaugural three-day-long Sherpas' meeting from 24-26 February 2021. India presented its priorities for its Chairship in 2021 under the theme – "BRICS@15: Intra BRICS Cooperation for Continuity, Consolidation and Consensus". The 13th BRICS summit will review the achievements and contributions of BRICS for the global agenda and assess each BRICS nation's growth stories to celebrate its 15th anniversary in 2021. The theme reflects the approach to strengthen the founding principles of BRICS cooperation based on continuity, consolidation and consensus.

Over the last one year, the world has drastically changed due to the coronavirus outbreak. Also, the worsening of India-China ties and escalation of tensions between the two most influential member states of BRICS, namely, China and India, caused anxiety over the last year and created some destruction and differences within the grouping. The 12th BRICS Summit was held virtually amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, hosted by Russia on November 17, 2020, on the theme of global stability, shared security and innovative growth. Economic and counter-terrorism were the two key themes at the summit, and two declarations were adopted; these are (1) BRICS economic partnership strategy 2025 and (2) the BRICS counter-terrorism strategy. The economic partnership focuses on trade, investment, finance, digital economy and sustainable development, while the counter-terrorism strategy condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. It calls upon the BRICS nations to strengthen cooperation to fight terrorism through groupings like the UN, G20 (Group of 20) and FATF (The Financial Action Task Force).

Two significant areas would continue to be high on India's priority during the 13th BRICS summit (i) the United Nations Security Council reform and (ii) the fight against terrorism. Amidst differences over the policies on terrorism, it has to be seen how BRICS nations cooperate to counter this critical problem that affects humanity across the world. In 2012, as the chair of BRICS, India introduced "security" in the BRICS agenda as the New Delhi Summit's theme was 'BRICS Partnership for Global Stability, Security and Prosperity. The BRICS countries have taken confident strides in economic cooperation, evidenced by the New Development Bank's (NDB) creation in 2014.

The first meeting of the BRICS Women's Business Alliance (WBA) under India's Chairship was held on March 7, 2021, on the occasion of International Women's Day. It was attended by the Chairs of all other national chapters of BRICS, WBA. In addition to this, BRICS joint working groups will also be constituted this year on the identified sectors like (a) Innovative Development, (b) Healthcare, (c) Food Security, (d) Environmental Safety, (e) Creative Industries, (f) Tourism, and (g) Inclusive Economy. The representatives from all other national chapters of the alliance welcomed India's proposal and offered full support. They also shared details about their respective women-centric plans for the year. The sustainable development goals demonstrate adopting the gender lens properly and creating a culture to provide more opportunities to women that requires collaborative and concerted actions.

In current trying times, there is a need to transform challenges into opportunities and accelerate the shift towards greater inclusion of women in the workforce and women-led entrepreneurship. This forms the basis of BRICS WBA's plan for the year 2021 under India's Chairship. The overall goal for BRICS Women's Business Alliance for 2021 will promote women's economic participation and empowerment across BRICS countries.

India does not have significant trade ties with BRICS nations except with China. As the present trend suggests, India would be making efforts to decouple its economy from China in the coming years. Chinese investments in India would be subjected to increased scrutiny as well. This does not go well for BRICS, a grouping striving to find a common identity. So far, there was an understanding among the BRICS members that bilateral issues would not impact their thinking on global and regional issues, but this is likely to change as China's aggressive posturing along Indian borders has fundamentally altered the nature of India-China engagement not only at the bilateral but also at the multilateral level. However, the BRICS members would continue to search for cooperation, and India's new thinking on BRICS would be reflected as it takes up the chair for 2021. As Chair, India will work on specific deliverables across three pillars of intra-BRICS cooperation in 2021.

These are:

• On the issues of political and security concerns, that is, to enhance cooperation and dialogue on issues of global and regional security. Ensure developments in the global political sphere for peace, security and prosperity. India is working to ensure reform of the multilateral system and engage in counter-terrorism cooperation.
• On the economic and financial issues, to promote economic growth and development for mutual prosperity through intra-BRICS collaboration in sectors such as trade, agriculture, infrastructure, small and medium enterprises, energy, finance and banking. Recognizing the advantages of using technological and digital solutions to achieve sustainable development goals in BRICS countries, focusing on the implementation of the BRICS Economic Partnership Strategy 2020-25. India would encourage the BRICS Agriculture Research Platform's operationalization, cooperation on disaster resilience, promote collaboration in innovation sectors and digital health, and in the traditional medicine sector.
• Encourage to conduct cultural activities and increase people-to-people contact. India believes in qualitatively enriching and enhancing intra-BRICS people-to-people communications in cultural, academic, sports, business sectors through regular exchanges.

The BRICS partners appreciates India's theme and priorities for its Chairship during 2021 and considers the theme timely and relevant and expressed support for India's new initiatives. BRICS Sherpas suggested opening up of BRICS bank's regional offices in Russia and India and on NDB membership expansion. BRICS Sherpas agreed to meet regularly to review the progress made on the discussions and plans.

BRICS Summits demonstrate how geographically distant countries with different social and economic challenges can become partners and generate a convergence that changes the axis of international politics and financial structures. BRICS aims to move forward based on openness, solidarity, mutual understanding and trust. BRICS aims to promote peace, security, and development in a multi-polar, inter-dependent and increasingly complex, globalizing world. The deliberations during the Summits reflect the consensus to remain engaged with the world community. The issues address the challenges for people's well-being and bring stability responsibly and constructively. BRICS Summits boost the momentum as it takes the BRICS agendas forward. Every BRICS Summits deals upon the issues and concerns identified at previous Summits agendas while focusing mainly on traditional BRICS issues.

India
Source: brics2021.gov.in

India hosted the 1st Meeting of BRICS Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors virtually today on 6 April 2021. The meeting was jointly chaired by Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman and Governor, Reserve Bank of India, Shri. Shaktikanta Das. Participants included Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors of the BRICS countries. As 2021 BRICS Chair, India's approach is focused on strengthening intra-BRICS cooperation based on Continuity, Consolidation and Consensus. This was the first meeting of the BRICS Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors under India Chairship in 2021. BRICS Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors discussed financial cooperation agenda set by India for 2021 - Global Economic Outlook and Response to COVID-19 pandemic, New Development Bank (NDB) Activities, Social Infrastructure Financing and Use of Digital Technologies, Cooperation on Customs related issues, IMF reforms, Fintech for SMEs and Financial Inclusion, BRICS Rapid Information Security channel and BRICS Bond Fund. On the BRICS priorities and agenda for 2021, Finance Minister Smt. Sitharaman informed that the efforts should be made towards delivering outcomes that reflects the needs and aspirations of BRICS in particular and emerging markets and developing economies in general. The Finance Minister emphasised the importance of BRICS in responding to the COVID-19 crisis through policy support and enhancing international coordination. Smt. Sitharaman highlighted that world's largest vaccine drive by India is under way. India has supplied 64.5 million vaccine doses to 84 countries. Speaking on the importance of social infrastructure and use of digital technologies, the Finance Minister underscored the merit in engaging with private sector and exploring the innovative financing models. Smt. Sitharaman stated that the Prime Minister's Health Insurance Scheme using an outputbased funding model has triggered a major private investment cycle in health-care infrastructure, enabling significant expansion of health-care services to vulnerable citizens. The Finance Minister talked about thematic priorities for New Development Bank for discussion during 2021 and the issues of membership expansion. Smt. Sitharaman also called for greater coordination among BRICS member countries on the issues of 16th general review of Quotas of IMF.
https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=...

Brazil
Source: infobrics.org

The board of New Development Bank (NDB) authorized a loan of US$153mn for road improvements in northern Brazil's Pará state.

"The Pará II –Transport Infrastructure for Regional Development Project will support the development of the state's road infrastructure through upgrading approximately 475 km of existing unpaved roads in five regions," said NDB, which was founded by the so-called BRICS countries – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

"The project will contribute to the reduction of travel time and logistics cost, and to interconnecting the municipalities that are currently isolated, thereby promoting these municipalities' economic integration and sustainable development," the bank added in a statement.

The loan represents 80% of the total US$191mn to be invested in the project. The rest will come from state budget.

The work will be carried out by the state transport department, which is responsible for managing all roads in of Pará.

The Project has been categorized as Category A in line with NDB's Environment and Social Framework (ESF). Main environmental and social (E&S) impacts and risks include (i) biodiversity impacts to the Amazon terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems due to vegetation removal to enlarge and pave existing roads, construct bridges and operate roads; (ii) degradation and reduction of permanent protection areas including erosion, such as river banks; (iii) resettlement of about 440 households; (iv) indirect impacts on 3 indigenous communities located outside the road intervention areas but within buffer zones; (v) potential impacts on about 13 quilombola communities outside of the road intervention areas but within buffer zones; and (vi) potential reputational risk associated with road development in the Amazon region. These impacts will be addressed and mitigated by development of relevant environmental and social impact studies as well as implementation of an Environmental and Social Impact Management Plan (ESIMP) alongside the NDB's intensive monitoring of the Project implementation.

South Africa
Source: infobrics.org

The New Development Bank has approved a €436 million ($511 million) loan for the implementation of the Tianjin Nangang liquefied natural gas (LNG) Emergency Reserve Project by oil and gas company Beijing Gas.

Beijing Gas will over the next five years construct LNG receiving, storage and regasification facilities, and unloading wharves.

The $2 billion project is designed to increase China's natural gas emergency supply capacity, reduce reliance on coal and ultimately support low-carbon and sustainable development of the economy.

The project will contribute to bridging considerable gaps between natural gas demand and supply in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, where natural gas supply for the peak consumption seasons, such as the winter period, now cannot be ensured.

Beijing Gas will make use of the infrastructure to be developed to reduce coal consumption by 11.90 million tonnes annually, resulting in a considerable reduction in emissions of greenhouse gas emissions.

The utility will also make use of $500 million in funding issued by the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank to implement the project.

The Project will be implemented over five years by Beijing Gas Group Co. Ltd.

India
Source: infobrics.org

Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman urged the Brics (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa)-led New Development Bank (NDB) to improve its ratings by international rating agencies through adequate capitalization, quality governance and prudent management.

At the sixth annual meeting of the board of governors of NDB held via videoconference, Sitharaman highlighted NDB's role in countercyclical lending through a $10 billion emergency assistance programme for supporting member countries in fighting the covid pandemic.

"The finance minister encouraged the NDB to facilitate private sector participation, explore more innovative financing structures, discover co-financing opportunities with other MDBs (multilateral development banks), develop a pipeline of bankable projects, and promote environmental and social safeguards to enhance the sustainability of infrastructure," the finance ministry said in a statement.

Highlighting the role of development financial institutions (DFIs) in infrastructure financing, Sitharaman said India is going to set up a new DFI with an initial paid-up capital of around $3 billion with a lending target of $69 billion over the next three years. She also suggested that NDB must consider developing a synergistic relationship with institutions that share its development priorities to achieve greater results.

NDB was set up by BRICS in 2014 with the objective of mobilizing resources for infrastructure and sustainable development projects in BRICS, and other emerging economies.

Headquartered in Shanghai, China, NDB was operationalised in 2015, and has so far approved 18 projects in India worth $6,924 million.

China
Source: www.ndb.int

On April 2, 2021, the Board of Directors of the New Development Bank (NDB) approved a USD 1 billion COVID-19 Emergency Program Loan to the Government of the Republic of South Africa for supporting South Africa's economic recovery from COVID-19 (the Loan).

The Loan will support the Government of South Africa in its efforts to contain the economic fallout of the pandemic and start economic recovery. The Loan will finance creation of employment opportunities in South Africa, in particular the first phase of the Presidential Employment Stimulus (PES) aimed to create and support about 700,000 job opportunities in the public sector, together with social protection measures for active labor market participants that temporarily lost their jobs, in order to help them remain in the labor market.

NDB's financing under the Program is primarily aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.

The Loan is part of the second batch of COVID-19 Emergency Program Loans to NDB's member countries focusing on economic recovery. The Loan focuses on supporting economic growth through employment generation as well as support for labor force participation. This follows the first COVID-19 Emergency Program Loan to South Africa that provided emergency relief funding for supporting healthcare and providing social grants in the country.

Background Information

The NDB established the Emergency Assistance Facility in April 2020, to provide up to USD 10 billion in crisis-related assistance to its member countries, including USD 5 billion for financing healthcare and social safety-related expenditures, as well as USD 5 billion for supporting economic recovery efforts. In total, the NDB Board of Directors so far has approved nine COVID-19 related emergency assistance programs with a total amount of around USD 9 billion.

The NDB was established by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa to mobilize resources for infrastructure and sustainable development projects in BRICS and other emerging economies and developing countries, complementing the existing efforts of multilateral and regional financial institutions for global growth and development.

South Africa
Source: www.samrc.ac.za

Cape Town | While South Africa and many parts of the world have gained valuable experience on COVID-19 mitigation and made encouraging progress in vaccine research and development, there are concerted efforts in the BRICS countries to further control the scourge.

In response to the rapid rise in the number of active cases and mortality and in the absence of treatments and preventative vaccines at the time, the BRICS Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Framework Programme launched a call for multilateral basic, applied and innovation research projects in an effort to facilitate collaboration among the researchers and institutions across all its five member-countries. For the South African leg of the project, the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) is providing funding for the activities alongside the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) which is also the project administrator.

In July 2020, a call for applications was published by the SAMRC aimed at researchers based at research and development organisations, South African universities and science councils, including the SAMRC, to submit suitable project proposals for funding. A similar process was undertaken in other BRICS partner countries.

In response to the call, a total of 111 eligible proposals were submitted across all five countries in five thematic areas, the majority of applications focused on the area of research and development of COVID-19 vaccines and drugs, including repurposing of available vaccines and drugs, followed by the thematic area of research and development of new technologies/tools for diagnosing COVID-19.

Following a closely monitored selection process which included a rigorous peer review process in all the BRICS countries, the Call Secretariat convened a meeting of all the relevant funding agencies in each BRICS country in December 2020. Based on the rankings submitted by the funding agencies and through a consensus process, twelve joint projects were selected for funding, of which seven joint projects have a South African component.

Twenty research institutions in South Africa submitted applications with 42% of potential lead investigators being women and 58% men. Dr Niresh Bhagwandin, Executive Manager at the SAMRC's Strategic Research Initiatives who managed the call for applications on behalf of DSI and the SAMRC said: "This demonstrates the progress made in the agenda of science transformation and the advancement of women in order to bring a gender-edge to science and research"

Professor Glenda Gray, SAMRC President and CEO highlighted that although there have been tremendous global efforts to find multiple vaccine candidates to protect against infection and subsequent development of COVID-19, the need to invest in further research to curb and eradicate the virus, remains. "A lot has happened in the fight against COVID-19 since we last launched the call - now the biggest vaccination campaign in history is underway with millions of doses being administered globally, including South Africa. However, much work is still needed especially in the areas of innovative diagnostic tools and the search for more effective drugs and vaccines," said Gray, adding that such partnerships are not only necessary in the COVID-19 context, but may go a long way in preparing us to deal with future epidemics.

Dr Blade Nzimande, Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, commented: "South Africa enjoys privileged political and economic relations with the BRICS partners, as well as strategic cooperation in science and innovation. I am delighted that we are able to harness these relations through the BRICS Framework Programme for a portfolio of impressive research and innovation projects, which will make a critical contribution to the global response to COVID-19. South Africa remains firmly committed and we will continue to actively work to expand BRICS cooperation across our National System of Innovation."

Valued at more than R30 million, the seven awardees (Principal/Lead Investigators) in South Arica and their studies are:

1. Prof Kelly Chibale: University of Cape Town
   Multidisciplinary platform based on artificial intelligence for accelerating drug discovery and repurposing for COVID-19
2. Prof Hanlie Smuts: University of Pretoria
   BRICS-ICT Alliance for Smart Resource Utilization to Combat Global Pandemic Outbreaks
3. Prof Tulio de Oliveira: University of KwaZulu-Natal
   SARS-CoV-2 Network for Genomic Surveillance in Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa
4. Prof Bavesh Kana: University of the Witwatersrand & National Health Laboratory Service
   Impact of Covid-19 on clinical manifestations, diagnosis, treatment outcome and immune response for pulmonary tuberculosis (Nickname: ABRICOT - Associative BRICS Research in Covid-19 and Tuberculosis)
5. Prof Anneke C Hesseling: Stellenbosch University
   Epidemiological impact and intersection of the COVID-19 and tuberculosis pandemics in Brazil, Russia, India and South Africa
6. Prof Uchechukwu Nwodo: University of Fort Hare
   Epidemiological features and geospatial evaluation of COVID-19: Correlation with comorbidities and prognostic biomarkers between SARS-CoV-2 and Mycobacterium tuberculosis
7. Prof Anil Chuturgoon: University of KwaZulu-Natal
   Repurposing of drugs and validation of lead compounds against main protease and RNA dependent RNA polymerase of SARS-CoV2

Speaking at the virtual 12th annual BRICS Summit 2020, President Cyril Ramaphosa lauded the efforts of the BRICS STI Framework Programme in its response to COVID-19, commending the speed and efficiency with which countries mobilised the capacities of the Programme. While calling for more investments to be channeled towards innovation-focused projects, the President emphasised that "Investing in science, technology and innovation will not only prepare us for future health emergencies, it will also enable us to confront other global challenges."

USA
Source: papers.ssrn.com

Abstract

Due to the impact of COVID-19, it is important now more than ever to analyze the relationship between the improvement in digitization and the flow of remittances in order to fill the void that has come as a result of stay at home and quarantine orders. Using a comprehensive measure of digitization that encompasses the commonly used proxies of financial technology (Fintech) and employing a System Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) panel estimation methodology on annual data over the period 2004–2018, this paper examines the impact of digitization, as a proxy of Fintech, on the inflow of remittances for a sample of 34 developed and developing countries. Our analysis provides an interesting case study on Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS), known as five emerging markets with a great number of workers out of abroad but below the average level of digital transfers. Using the Digital ecosystem Development Index developed by Katz and Calorda (2018), the results of the paper uncover a statistically significant nonlinear relationship between the improvement in digitization measures and the inflow of remittances with an exact threshold level. More specifically, our results for the full sample indicate that improvement in digitization may initially increase the remittances inflow leading to an increase in the stock of remittances received. Nevertheless, once the digitization index reaches its threshold level further improvement in digitization tends decrease as penetration increases, giving rise to a decline in the rate of remittances inflow. This result implies that the marginal effect of the digital penetration is larger when at its lower level, before the threshold level. For countries such as the BRICS, with a level of digitization below the average of our sample, policy makers should apply more aggressive and comprehensive policies to recoup the maximum gains of a digital ecosystem. Hence, our policy implications are directed towards increasing the investments in developing human capacity including carrying different skill development training programs to prepare individuals for the information age, expanding the internet coverage and speed especially in educational establishments, encouraging the use and access of electronic banking by consumers, producers, and governments, and taking cyber security and fraud protection more seriously to encourage the flow of remittances, especially in light of its renewed utility due to the recent pandemic.

Russia
Source: yeabrics.org

On April 6, 2021, BRICS Youth Energy Agency with support of NYCR hosted a side event "BRICS Youth Energy Compact: Uniting the Efforts for SDG7" to the 10th anniversary 10th Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Youth Forum. The event was held as an online conference.

The session moderated by Mr. Vadim Kuznetsov (Manager, SDGP) was held in an interactive way to engage BRICS Youth as well as young people from other developing countries who are willing to be a part of the joint action to address SDG7.

At the side event, young people learned what Energy Compacts have been designed for and what role they are to play in meeting the Agenda 2030, in particular SDG7. This was accurately explained by Mr. Amir Bahr, Senior Energy Specialist from Sustainable Energy for All. "As we need to unite multiple our fragmented approaches to deliver on our common objectives by 2030, we are mobilizing multistakeholder voluntary commitments which are based on five HLDE thematic pillars and underpinned by actions to connect solution providers with the fields where support is crucial. To increase ambition on the commitments, there will also be an accountability framework walking the SDG7 implementation up until 2030", – he said.

Designed by BRICS Youth Energy Agency and endorsed by co-leads of the global action, namely UN-Energy and SEforAll, the elaboration process of the BRICS Youth Energy Compact found its inception as it was introduced by Mr. Alexander Kormishin, BRICS YEA Chairperson. Mr. Kormishin highlighted the potential of BRICS countries in the future of energy and their role in meeting SDG7 by 2030 and the Climate Goals by 2050. "The youth, however, – he said, – has to be put at the front line as they are the ones who will implement the commitments undertaken this year by Member States. The broad youth coalition is essential in defining the joint actions because it is the only way to secure legitimate and doable decisions."

In the meantime, the participants of the side event were invited to give their inputs via an open survey by choosing their preferences within the agendas of the five Technical Working Groups to the HLDE.

The BRICS Youth Energy Compact was highly endorsed by the invited members of the panel. Ms. Olga Yudina, Advisor to Director General of the Russian Energy Agency, emphasized that, streamlining the vast experience in youth energy cooperation, the BRICS Youth Energy Compact will serve as a solid basis for developing multilateral consultations amongst the BRICS states at various international fora, including those of the UN. In addition, Ms. Yudina expressed her hope to see the BRICS Youth Energy Compact presented at the High-Level Dialogue on Energy and ensured that all the necessary support on the part of Russia will be channeled to make the initiative a success.

On the other hand, Mr. Subrahmanyam Pulipaka, CEO of the National Solar Energy Federation of India, commended the efforts of BRICS youth to target SDG7 because this facilitates the actions taken by the five countries. He also highlighted that 'many of us forget that the most powerful energy on the plant is the energy of youth and one shouldn't forget about this resource.' His thoughts have been supported by Mr. Pratik Suthar, National Convenor of Think India, who underscored the significance of involving more young people into bringing forward new energy technologies to secure a beneficial energy transition for all the BRICS countries.

Ms. Milena Megre, International Manager of EnergyC (Brazil), marked that youth should be provided with broader opportunities to get a space for engaging in the decision making process and communicating their energy-tailored vision to policy makers.

Ms. Nora Li from SEforAll in her short remark following the discussion noticed that Energy Compacts have a multi-lateral nature and are open for collaborations, and SEforAll team is there to facilitate.

In his closing, Mr. Kormishin outlined the next steps for development of the Compact which also includes the finalization of the Working Group list in charge. He also summarized that the diversity which is a treasure of intra-BRICS relations does not interfere with the spheres where the youth sees the future of energy similarly. In this regard, he suggested to issue a long-needed document which would reflect the common vision of BRICS youth for the future of energy, namely the BRICS Youth Energy Vision. The draft document and the open discussions will be announced shortly.

The other news announced by Mr. Kormishin was the publication of the Special report "Black Swans in BRICS Energy Sectors" which is scheduled for April 8, 2021 and will be available online on BRICS YEA website.

The draft BRICS Youth Energy Compact is planned for discussions at the Thematic Ministerial Forum with youth engagement in summer and the following presentation at the HLDE in September 2021. The compact will be the first-of-its-kind youth mechanism for preparations to the High-Level Dialogue on Energy open to voluntary youth commitments that ensures youth participation in the Decade of Action for Sustainable Energy.

India
Source: infobrics.org

The Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India hosted a virtual meeting of the BRICS Experts in Traditional Medicines under India's Chairship of BRICS 2021. The meeting was attended by Traditional Medicines Experts from Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa.

Addressing the experts, Mr. P.K. Pathak, Additional Secretary, Ministry of AYUSH, who chaired the meeting, provided an overview of the Traditional Medicine system in India and of the various initiatives of the Ministry of AYUSH including for the mitigation of COVID-19. Eminent experts from Ministry of AYUSH, All India institute of Ayurveda, Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) and the Central Council for Research in Homeopathy (CCRH) outlined the role and importance of Traditional Medicine in achieving SDG 3 (Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages) by means of integrating it in the public healthcare system as part of the BRICS Agenda for health under the Economic and Financial pillar of intra-BRICS Cooperation.

India's BRICS 2021 priorities and deliverables in the field of Traditional Medicine with the aim of enhancing and strengthening BRICS collaboration including an MoU on BRICS Cooperation in Traditional Medicines and a BRICS Forum on Traditional Medicine (BFTM) were presented and discussed during the meeting. The proposals made by India aim at supporting the BRICS Members in strengthening their national capacities in the area of traditional medicine and implementing a Traditional Medicine Action Plan, with particular emphasis on the safe and effective use of traditional medicine and its appropriate integration into national health care systems. The BRICS MoU and the BRICS Forum on Traditional Medicine (BFTM) would help foster BRICS cooperation on Traditional Medicine for holistic health care through promotion of BRICS collaboration in policies, approaches, strategies, institutional and regulatory framework of Traditional Medicine and sharing of knowledge among other things.

The BRICS experts expressed their appreciation and extended their cooperation and support for the substantive agenda and work related to Traditional Medicine that are planned by India in 2021, as the Chair of BRICS.

India
Source: infobrics.org

The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Government of India hosted a first meeting of the BRICS Working Group on Anti-Corruption virtually under India's Chairship of BRICS 2021. The meeting was attended by delegates from Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa.

Chairing the meeting, Mr. Rahul Singh, Joint Secretary, DoPT, held discussions on 'Corruption and Gender' and on issues under the G20 Anti-Corruption Working Group.

With an aim at combating corruption in BRICS countries and help accelerate economic growth, the Chair proposed to hold an Anti-Corruption Training Programme and a series of lectures for BRICS countries Anti-Corruption Officials. The Officials are proposed to be trained by Indian experts on topics such as 'Use of Technology to tackle Corruption', 'Strengthening Ease of Doing Business and Reduction in Corruption' and 'Best Practices in Regulating Corruption'.

The BRICS delegates appreciated India's proposals and extended their cooperation and support for the events planned by India in 2021, as the Chair of BRICS.

Russia
Source: www.nkibrics.ru

By Alina Shenfeldt, Deputy Director at Russian Donors Forum

With the pandemic causing major upheaval, we've found ourselves revisiting the status quo of our lives, our organisations and our systems. This is also the case for global philanthropy which has met the crisis with resources as well as responsibility. While "traditional" philanthropies of American and European origin showed their ability to respond flexibly and collaboratively, what was the stance of `emerging' philanthropies, in particular those of the BRICS countries – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa?

The need for philanthropies in BRICS to look at themselves through the lens of their peers was recognised at an online event organised by Russian Donors Forum and WINGS on 23 March 2021. "Reimagining the added value of philanthropy in BRICS countries: lessons learnt from COVID-19" brought together ecosystem champions of the philanthropy sector from the BRICS countries who reflected on the big issues of the COVID-19 response, the role of philanthropy infrastructure and their appetite for global leadership.

COVID-19 response: collaboration and trust

Introducing the event, Benjamin Bellegy, the Executive Director at WINGS and the event moderator, summed up the context by saying that what we've seen during the COVID-19 crisis has been an incredible surge in giving and philanthropy in emerging market economies. BRICS philanthropies also unanimously recognised unprecedented collaboration within and beyond the sector. Sarah Rennie, Chairperson at the Independent Philanthropy Association of South Africa, shared the South African examples of the Solidarity Fund, which attracted $200 million from almost 15,000 individuals and 2,500 corporates in South Africa, as well as the South African Future Trust which partnered with 6 national banks in South Africa and extended interest-free loans to almost 10 thousand Small and Medium enterprises. In China, according to Yanni Peng, CEO at Narada Foundation, within a month of the first COVID-19 case, major Chinese foundations initiated the China NGO Consortium for COVID-19 to share information and build collective action.

Atila Roque, Director of the Ford Foundation in Brazil, reflected that the pandemic was an invitation for increased levels of cooperation which, at times, was unpredictable and challenging. In India, according to Ashwini Saxena, Director at JSW Foundation (India), COVID-19 collaboration was most intense in technology and health, skill development and employability, and innovation.

Most importantly, COVID-19 presented the challenge to improve mechanisms of building the environment of trust. This resonated with Oksana Oracheva, General Director at the Vladimir Potanin Foundation (Russia), who shared that while public trust has been declining in various institutions, charitable and philanthropic organisations are the only institutions in Russia that are enjoying rising levels of trust from the public. This is definitely momentum worth building upon.

Philanthropy Infrastructure: awareness and demand

Since the eruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Brazilian philanthropic sector mobilised more than $1bn. This huge figure, according to Atila Roque, is partly due to the existing philanthropy infrastructure that was developed in Brazil way before the pandemic. There is an increased level of consciousness about infrastructure being crucial to coordinating efforts and bringing together various stakeholders.

While Atila considers (and hopes for) investment in infrastructure to be a trend, Sarah Rennie is slightly more sceptical. Though there has been an unprecedented willingness for South African foundations to associate and work together during the pandemic, normalisation of the situation might lead to a decrease in this. However, this is something that should be avoided as the pandemic showed strong interconnectivity of all social and environmental causes. Only coming together with other foundations with an open-minded approach will allow for the exploration of risks that might be there for the cause that is on your agenda.

Global leadership: humbleness and new models

The virtue of qian, one of the traditional Chinese virtues, refers to humbleness and modesty. This is the virtue that seemed to resonate with BRICS philanthropies when they were invited to reflect on their potential role as global leaders. They feel more comfortable to come together, listen to and learn from each other, share challenges and come up with joint solutions, rather than imposing their ways of working. As Oksana Oracheva put it, the momentum exists to think beyond the traditional understanding of the 'international' aspect of global leadership in terms of North-South or West-East money flows. Instead, old narratives and the traditional language of power do not seem to respond to the challenges of the day and require a new language, that which understands `new power'.

Still, the question remains – what is it that BRICS philanthropies have got to offer the world? Fuelling unprecedented levels of individual giving via crowdfunding platforms? Rapid development of social innovations through the surge of social enterprises or social business? The practices which become inherent in emerging philanthropies might well lead to the democratisation of the sector and blur boundaries of a traditional understanding of where philanthropy can come in. This untapped potential can be scaled up, and this is entirely where philanthropy infrastructure can ensure that this exchange happens and is harnessed for collective impact.

Quite soon, BRICS philanthropies will need to figure out and articulate what exactly they have to offer as the demand is being forged. Only 10% of the webinar participants said that BRICS philanthropies should continue to focus only on the domestic agenda, while the vast majority stated that they are ready to increase global leadership. As Benjamin Bellegy said, we need to understand whether BRICS philanthropies can become a centre of new thinking and practices in philanthropy and mirror the diplomatic vision of the BRICS bloc to build an alternative global emerging leadership - while still engaging on domestic issues.

What became evident during the webinar is that there is a strong appetite for an exchange of practices and learnings (even from failures) among philanthropy organisations in BRICS countries. They recognise themselves in the words of their peers and they recognise the challenges they are facing in their country with the challenges faced by philanthropies in other BRICS countries. At Russian Donors Forum, we have initiated research to dig deeper into what brings the BRICS philanthropies together and how learning from each other's journeys can benefit us all.

If you missed the webinar, you are welcome to listen to the recording here. We will also be happy to hear from you if you would like to share resources on philanthropy and COVID-19 response in BRICS - it will contribute greatly to a study on philanthropy in BRICS countries we aim to publish later this year.

With the pandemic causing major upheaval, we've found ourselves revisiting the status quo of our lives, our organisations and our systems. This is also the case for global philanthropy which has met the crisis with resources as well as responsibility. While "traditional" philanthropies of American and European origin showed their ability to respond flexibly and collaboratively, what was the stance of `emerging' philanthropies, in particular those of the BRICS countries – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa?

The need for philanthropies in BRICS to look at themselves through the lens of their peers was recognised at an online event organised by Russian Donors Forum and WINGS on 23 March 2021. "Reimagining the added value of philanthropy in BRICS countries: lessons learnt from COVID-19" brought together ecosystem champions of the philanthropy sector from the BRICS countries who reflected on the big issues of the COVID-19 response, the role of philanthropy infrastructure and their appetite for global leadership.

COVID-19 response: collaboration and trust

Introducing the event, Benjamin Bellegy, the Executive Director at WINGS and the event moderator, summed up the context by saying that what we've seen during the COVID-19 crisis has been an incredible surge in giving and philanthropy in emerging market economies. BRICS philanthropies also unanimously recognised unprecedented collaboration within and beyond the sector. Sarah Rennie, Chairperson at the Independent Philanthropy Association of South Africa, shared the South African examples of the Solidarity Fund, which attracted $200 million from almost 15,000 individuals and 2,500 corporates in South Africa, as well as the South African Future Trust which partnered with 6 national banks in South Africa and extended interest-free loans to almost 10 thousand Small and Medium enterprises. In China, according to Yanni Peng, CEO at Narada Foundation, within a month of the first COVID-19 case, major Chinese foundations initiated the China NGO Consortium for COVID-19 to share information and build collective action.

Atila Roque, Director of the Ford Foundation in Brazil, reflected that the pandemic was an invitation for increased levels of cooperation which, at times, was unpredictable and challenging. In India, according to Ashwini Saxena, Director at JSW Foundation (India), COVID-19 collaboration was most intense in technology and health, skill development and employability, and innovation.

Most importantly, COVID-19 presented the challenge to improve mechanisms of building the environment of trust. This resonated with Oksana Oracheva, General Director at the Vladimir Potanin Foundation (Russia), who shared that while public trust has been declining in various institutions, charitable and philanthropic organisations are the only institutions in Russia that are enjoying rising levels of trust from the public. This is definitely momentum worth building upon.

Philanthropy Infrastructure: awareness and demand

Since the eruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Brazilian philanthropic sector mobilised more than $1bn. This huge figure, according to Atila Roque, is partly due to the existing philanthropy infrastructure that was developed in Brazil way before the pandemic. There is an increased level of consciousness about infrastructure being crucial to coordinating efforts and bringing together various stakeholders.

While Atila considers (and hopes for) investment in infrastructure to be a trend, Sarah Rennie is slightly more sceptical. Though there has been an unprecedented willingness for South African foundations to associate and work together during the pandemic, normalisation of the situation might lead to a decrease in this. However, this is something that should be avoided as the pandemic showed strong interconnectivity of all social and environmental causes. Only coming together with other foundations with an open-minded approach will allow for the exploration of risks that might be there for the cause that is on your agenda.

Global leadership: humbleness and new models

The virtue of qian, one of the traditional Chinese virtues, refers to humbleness and modesty. This is the virtue that seemed to resonate with BRICS philanthropies when they were invited to reflect on their potential role as global leaders. They feel more comfortable to come together, listen to and learn from each other, share challenges and come up with joint solutions, rather than imposing their ways of working. As Oksana Oracheva put it, the momentum exists to think beyond the traditional understanding of the 'international' aspect of global leadership in terms of North-South or West-East money flows. Instead, old narratives and the traditional language of power do not seem to respond to the challenges of the day and require a new language, that which understands `new power'.

Still, the question remains – what is it that BRICS philanthropies have got to offer the world? Fuelling unprecedented levels of individual giving via crowdfunding platforms? Rapid development of social innovations through the surge of social enterprises or social business? The practices which become inherent in emerging philanthropies might well lead to the democratisation of the sector and blur boundaries of a traditional understanding of where philanthropy can come in. This untapped potential can be scaled up, and this is entirely where philanthropy infrastructure can ensure that this exchange happens and is harnessed for collective impact.

Quite soon, BRICS philanthropies will need to figure out and articulate what exactly they have to offer as the demand is being forged. Only 10% of the webinar participants said that BRICS philanthropies should continue to focus only on the domestic agenda, while the vast majority stated that they are ready to increase global leadership. As Benjamin Bellegy said, we need to understand whether BRICS philanthropies can become a centre of new thinking and practices in philanthropy and mirror the diplomatic vision of the BRICS bloc to build an alternative global emerging leadership - while still engaging on domestic issues.

What became evident during the webinar is that there is a strong appetite for an exchange of practices and learnings (even from failures) among philanthropy organisations in BRICS countries. They recognise themselves in the words of their peers and they recognise the challenges they are facing in their country with the challenges faced by philanthropies in other BRICS countries. At Russian Donors Forum, we have initiated research to dig deeper into what brings the BRICS philanthropies together and how learning from each other's journeys can benefit us all.

If you missed the webinar, you are welcome to listen to the recording here. We will also be happy to hear from you if you would like to share resources on philanthropy and COVID-19 response in BRICS - it will contribute greatly to a study on philanthropy in BRICS countries we aim to publish later this year.