Representatives of nine members bric group and other states interested in membership will meet at a summit in Kazan, Russia, by Thursday. The group’s stated goal is to create a multipolar world order. The European press is discussing whether Brics can be seen as a counterbalance to the “global West”. UN Secretary General Guterres‘ It may mean attending the meeting in Kazan.

The UN is discrediting itself

The Süddeutsche Zeitung (Germany) harshly criticized Guterres’ trip to Kazan before it was confirmed:

“This space brings together countries that use power based on trade and raw materials, show an increasing tendency towards authoritarian forms of government, lack of transparency, illegal forms of manipulation and a high tolerance for war criminals of all stripes. … The fact that war-waging President Vladimir Putin was put on trial despite his crimes under international law shows which values ​​prevail in the Brics alliance. It would be a turning point if UN Secretary-General António Guterres attended the summit like in South Africa. The self-destruction of the reputation of the United Nations will be complete,” said the highest representative of international law, joining the forum of the main violator of international law.

The participation of the Secretary General is significant

Hämeen Sanomat (Finland) looks at the UN Secretary-General’s involvement from a different perspective:

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“The BRICs meeting brings together countries that are interesting in terms of international security policy. Russia plays a key role in the ongoing war in Ukraine. Iran is involved in the Middle East crisis. China is applying political pressure to Taiwan. Therefore, the participation of UN Secretary-General António Guterres is really valuable. This will give the leaders of the Brics countries the opportunity to discuss and influence not only their economic aspirations, but also the stability of global security policy. Of course, Russia should not use Guterres’ presence for its own propaganda.”

A bad investment so far for the Kremlin

According to The Insider (Russia), the Kremlin has not gained any real advantage from the Brics alliance in the last decade:

“Brics has little to offer Russia. Most countries support Western sanctions to some degree. Brics Bank, which was established in 2014 for infrastructure investment, refuses to evaluate new projects in Russia, citing the risks posed by the same sanctions. This is the same Brics Bank that, according to statements by Russian officials, was supposed to offer an alternative to the IMF. “Moscow is constantly trying to persuade individual Brics members to invest in the creation of independent payment systems, but so far only Iran has shown active interest in such projects.”

There is not much demand for the dollar alternative

The idea of ​​a separate Brics currency has so far not received much support among member states, writes Telegraf (Ukraine):

“Only Russia is subject to sanctions. Banks of other countries do not want to be in the same boat with him. Any attempt to create a system that would overcome the constraints of the current banking model would put these countries at risk of direct sanctions. … So is all this just to facilitate trade with Russia? … A new currency, a replacement for Swift; “These are things that will meet the needs of Moscow, Iran and North Korea, but not the Global South, where there are no problems with the international financial system.”

Will Türkiye really join this club?

The Jutarnji (Croatia) list focuses on the only NATO member to attend the Kazan summit:

“Russia wants to exploit the Brics in order to create a new world order in which Russia and China will play the role of leaders of the ‘Third World countries’, thus removing them as much as possible from the sphere of influence of the West. … It is not out of the question that Recep Tayyip Erdoğan attended the meeting. join Brics. His decision is eagerly awaited in Moscow, where the accession of an influential NATO state will be seen as an important signal to the West, even a ‘major blow to NATO’. Therefore, the decision to be taken by Turkey, whose membership is more political than economic for Russia and China, is one of the most important issues of the summit.”

Big stage for Putin

Kazan offers Putin the perfect opportunity to boost his image, writes Corriere della Sera (Italy):

“For the dictator in Moscow, this will be a phase in which he can debunk the narrative that the West is isolated, while also taking a leading role in an organization that seeks to influence a new world order marked by increasing fragmentation. … When the Brics met in 2006, there were great doubts about whether they could survive and influence the international balance, given the heterogeneity of their members. “Yet they have become an essential point of reference for the so-called Global South, a galaxy of countries that feel excluded from traditional forms of global governance.”

G7 rivals still far behind

The BRICS group suffers from conflicting interests and lack of coordination, Le Temps (Switzerland) notes:

“On the face of it, this grouping appears to have the means to manipulate the organs of multilateralism to its advantage. But in reality, this is a heterogeneous farce consisting of countries primarily interested in defending their own interests and often in conflict with each other, while also expressing a desire for greater influence in shaping world events. … Brics countries see themselves as the counterpart of the G7, the club of the world’s most powerful industrialized countries. But they are still far from having the consistency and determination of the G7.”

The West should listen carefully

Columnist Pierre Haski on the website of France Inter radio emphasizes that the summit also concerns the rest of the world:

“What unites the Brics countries is their rejection of the world order that still gives the West too much pride. But not all members of the club necessarily want to replace this with a Chinese order or become Putin’s protector or guardian of morality. However, the impossibility of reforming the world order and the strong perception that the West applies double standards in the Middle East conflict opens the door to BRIC supporters, especially the effort to capture the ‘Global South’, starting from China. For these reasons, Westerners should not ignore the message coming from Kazan. Otherwise, they risk waking up to a world that runs away from them.”

Oil and water?

Türkiye became the first NATO country Apply for Brics membershipThis request is expected to be approved at the organization’s summit in Kazan. In the Yetkin Report (Türkiye), former diplomat Özden Sanberk wonders how the two can come together:

“On the one hand, we see Western alliances such as the EU, NATO and the Council of Europe, which focus on democracy and the individual, and on the other hand, we see the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and Brics, whose members are power-oriented countries. and dominance. Therefore, it remains a mystery for now how the states belonging to these two groups with irreconcilable systems can realize their demands for membership in each other’s regional or global unions.”

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