Representatives of the nine members of the Brics group and other states interested in membership will convene at a summit in the Russian city of Kazan until Thursday. The group stated goal is to create a multipolar world order. Europe's press debates whether Brics can be seen as a counterweight to the "global West" and what UN Secretary General Guterres' participation in the meeting in Kazan could mean.
The UN is discrediting itself
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The Süddeutsche Zeitung (Germany) strongly criticised Guterres's trip to Kazan even before it was confirmed:
“This venue brings together countries that wield power based on trade and raw materials and display a growing proclivity for authoritarian forms of government, a lack of transparency, illegal forms of manipulation and a high tolerance for war criminals of all stripes. ... The fact that the war-waging President Vladimir Putin is being courted despite his crimes under international law highlights which set of values prevails in the Brics alliance. If UN Secretary-General António Guterres were to attend the summit as he did in South Africa, that would mark a tipping point. The highest representative of international law attending the forum of the main violator of international law - the self-destruction of the United Nations' reputation would be complete.”
Secretary-general's attendance makes sense
Hämeen Sanomat (Finland) takes a different view of the UN Secretary-General's attendance:
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“The Brics meeting brings together countries of interest for international security policy. Russia plays a key role in the ongoing war in Ukraine. Iran is involved in the Middle East crisis. China is exerting political pressure on Taiwan. So it is very worthwhile indeed for UN Secretary-General António Guterres to attend. It will give the leaders of the Brics states the opportunity to discuss and influence not only their economic aspirations, but also the stability of global security policy. Provided Russia doesn't use Guterres' presence for its own propaganda.”
A bad investment for the Kremlin so far
The Kremlin has been unable to secure any real advantages from the Brics alliance over the past decade, The Insider (Russia) explains:
“Brics has little to offer for Russia. Most countries support the Western sanctions to some degree. The Brics Bank, established in 2014 for infrastructure investment, refuses to consider new projects in Russia, citing the risks posed by those same sanctions. This is the selfsame 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.”
Not much demand for a dollar alternative
The idea of a separate Brics currency has gained little support among the member states so far, writes Telegraf (Ukraine):
“Only Russia is subject to sanctions. The banks of other countries don't want to be in the same boat as it. Any attempts to create a system that would circumvent the restrictions of the existing banking model would put these countries at immediate risk of being sanctioned. ... And all this just to facilitate trade with Russia? ... A new currency, a Swift replacement - these are things that would satisfy the needs of Moscow, Iran and North Korea, but not the Global South, where there are no problems with the international financial system.”
Would Turkey really join this club?
Jutarnji (Croatia) list focuses on the only Nato member attending the Kazan summit:
“Russia wants to exploit Brics to create a new world order in which Russia and China play the role of leaders of the 'countries of the Third World' and thus remove them as far as possible from the West's sphere of influence. ... Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who is also attending the meeting, has not ruled out joining Brics. His decision is eagerly awaited in Moscow, where the accession of an influential Nato state would be seen as an important signal to the West, and even as a 'major blow to Nato'. The decision taken by Turkey, whose membership would be more important politically than economically for Russia and China, is therefore one of the key issues at the summit.”
A big stage for Putin
Kazan gives Putin the perfect opportunity to enhance his image, writes Corriere della Sera (Italy):
“For the dictator from Moscow this will be a stage from which he can not only refute the Western narrative about his being isolated but also claim a leading role in an organisation that is striving to influence the new world order marked by increasing fragmentation. ... When the Brics came together in 2006, there was great scepticism as to whether they would be able to survive and influence the international balance given the heterogeneity of their members. Yet they have become an obligatory point of reference for the so-called Global South - the galaxy of countries that feel excluded from the traditional formats of global governance.”
G7's competitors still lagging far behind
The BRICS group suffers from conflicting interests and a lacking coordination, Le Temps (Switzerland) observes:
“On the face of it, this grouping appears to have the means to tip the organs of multilateralism in its favour. In reality, however, it is a heterogeneous farrago of countries that are primarily concerned with defending their own interests and are often in conflict with one another, while at the same time expressing their desire for more influence in shaping world events. ... The Brics countries see themselves as the counterpart to the G7, the club of the world's most powerful industrialised countries. But they are still far from having the coherence and determination of the G7.”
The West should listen carefully
The summit is also relevant for the rest of the world, columnist Pierre Haski stresses on the website of radio station France Inter:
“What unites the Brics countries is their rejection of a world order that still gives too much pride of place to the West. But not all members of the club necessarily want to replace it with a Chinese order or have Putin as their protector or guardian of morality. However, the impossibility of reforming the world order and the strong perception that the West has double standards in the Middle East conflict are opening doors to the proponents of Brics, starting with China and its takeover bid for the 'Global South'. For these reasons, Westerners should not ignore the message from Kazan. Otherwise they risk waking up to a world that has escaped them.”
Oil and water?
Turkey has become the first Nato country to apply for membership of Brics, a request which is expected to be approved at the organisation's summit in Kazan. In Yetkin Report (Turkey), former diplomat Özden Sanberk wonders how the two can fit 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 we see the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and Brics, whose members are countries that focus on power and domination. So it remains a mystery for now how states belonging to these two groups of irreconcilable systems will be able to realise their demands for membership of each other's regional or global associations.”
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