Brics Foreign Ministers Call for Rebalancing of Global Order at Cape Town Meeting
The foreign ministers of the Brics group of nations, which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, have called for a rebalancing of the global order away from Western nations.
The meeting, which took place in Cape Town, South Africa, was attended by the foreign ministers of the five countries, who discussed issues such as global tension, inequality, and insecurity.
The group is seen as an alternative to the G7, a group of developed nations that held its annual summit in Hiroshima, Japan, last month.
The G7 has been highly critical of Russia and China, and some have viewed Brics as an alternative to the G7.
The Brics countries have a combined population of over 3.2 billion people, making up about 40% of the world's roughly 8 billion population.
The group is focused on providing global leadership in a world that is fractured by geopolitical tension, inequality, and global insecurity.
During the meeting, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was present and met with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
However, Lavrov's presence was met with protests, with demonstrators holding a picture of him with the words "child murderer" in reference to the International Criminal Court's (ICC) arrest warrant for Putin over allegations of war crimes in Ukraine.
South Africa has long-standing ties with Russia that go back to the years of white-minority rule, and the country has refused to criticize Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
However, South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor said that the country would abide by the ICC's warrant if Putin attended the Brics summit in August.
The South African government is reportedly in a diplomatic nightmare, with one option being considered to move the summit to another country.
The Brics group has called for a rebalancing of the global order away from Western nations, and their vision is to provide global leadership in a world that is fractured by geopolitical tension, inequality, and global insecurity.