VLADIVOSTOK, Sept 6 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has said that BRICS is an important tool for reducing the dependence of countries on the dollar, in an interview with RIA Novosti and RT.
Sputnik reported him as saying that the issue of using local currencies, which Malaysia has done in the past with China, is also the case with Indonesia, to an extent with Thailand, and when talking to India.
“We are still quite dependent on the dollar, but at least to reduce the impact, we need to do that. And BRICS is of course another vehicle to do that,” Anwar said on the sidelines of the 9th Eastern Economic Forum (EEF).
Established in 2009, BRICS initially comprised Brazil, Russia, India, and China. South Africa joined in 2010, and Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates joined as new members in January this year.
He added that BRICS is important to strengthen the cooperation among the countries of the Global South and contain the onslaught of rich industrial states.
“Well, we are very appreciative of the fact that [Russian] President [Vladimir] Putin officially invited me to attend the BRICS meeting in Kazan next month. Our policy is of course to strengthen the global south.
“BRICS is a very important vehicle to strengthen that sort of collaboration among countries in the global south. Not necessarily in antagonism, but at least to contain the onslaught of other richer industrialised countries and to be able to at least withstand the pressure and together build up the force,” Anwar said.
He emphasised that the Global South must organise itself and become stronger to resist the pressure.
“We also have to then organise ourselves to be more strong, to be able to contain the pressures not within our control. So that is, to me, the wisdom.”
The EEF began on Tuesday (September 3) and will run through today. It is being hosted by the Far Eastern Federal University in Russia’s Pacific coast city of Vladivostok. Sputnik is the general information partner of the EEF 2024.
— Bernama
