Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed participants of the BRICS Business Forum ahead of the 2024 BRICS Summit in Kazan, due to open early next week.Here are Putin’s main statements at the forum:Companies from BRICS countries are successfully developing mutual cooperation, implementing key projects in various sectors, such as industry, energy, transport, infrastructure, agriculture, and digital economy.The current forum brings together businessmen from all BRICS member states.It’s emblematic that the BRICS Summit in Kazan is preceded by the group’s Business Forum.One should emphasize the importance of close economic partnership between BRICS countries to advance trade and investment to deepen mutual cooperation, which brings tangible results. It helps in practice to improve the prosperity and living standards of rank-and-file citizens of BRICS nations.Companies from BRICS countries dominate many key global markets related to energy, metals, and food.Relevant development platforms are emerging within BRICS, among them communication channels, financial systems, payment instruments, and, of course, mechanisms for sustainable long-term investment. In other words, the economic growth of BRICS members will depend less and less on external influence and interference.One of the key issues of strengthening business partnership within BRICS is to enhance transportation connectivity and to create new mechanisms for businesses freight routes and corridors.In the Business Council, we have established a separate subgroup on logistics, and I would like to thank members of the Business Council and the businessmen for supporting the concept of a permanent logistics platform.We are implementing a large-scale plan to develop the Northern Sea Route, building up our icebreaker fleet, including nuclear-powered vessels. We are constructing new fuel terminals as well as navigation safety centers and other coastal infrastructure.We are closely cooperating with our BRICS partners in the field of innovation, digital economy, and artificial intelligence technology.Russia is open for mutually beneficial business cooperation. Our joint efforts should be mainly focused on the development and strengthening of our own platforms that add to economic growth. I am talking about technological solutions, financial and investment mechanisms, as well as broader logistics, and so on. I am confident that the implementation of BRICS’ potential, based in particular on its huge population and vast resources, will bring utmost benefit to our countries, businesses, and all of our citizens.
This post was originally published on here
