Putin praises BRICS achievements in fostering security cooperation

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Russian President Vladimir Putin praised on Thursday the achievements of BRICS in fostering security cooperation among its members.

Speaking at a meeting of BRICS high representatives for security issues in St. Petersburg, Putin highlighted the creation of a special electronic registry for sharing data on cyberattacks and incidents as one of the key accomplishments of the group.

"The decision to establish the BRICS Council on combating the financing of terrorism and money laundering is in its final stages. In July, the ninth plenary session of the working group on counterterrorism was held in Moscow, yielding positive results," Putin said.

In the realm of anti-corruption efforts, he said the BRICS countries, at Russia’s initiative, had approved common approaches for combating bribery and recovering assets and income obtained through illegal activities.

"Cooperation among BRICS states in the fight against drug-related crime has also gained momentum. During the May meeting of the anti-drug working group, agreements were reached to enhance efforts to prevent the use of information technology and virtual payment systems in drug trafficking," he added.

BRICS, founded in 2009 with Brazil, Russia, India, and China, expanded in 2011 with the addition of South Africa. Despite the group’s recent expansion with six new countries in December 2023, a collective decision was made to retain the original name BRICS.

Russia, which holds the group's rotating presidency in 2024, will hold the 16th BRICS summit in the city of Kazan from Oct. 22 to 24.