"In Cape Town, under the chairmanship of the Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa, Candith Mashego-Dlamini, a consultative meeting of BRICS countries on the Middle East and North Africa was held," the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
The meeting was attended by Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for the Middle East and Africa, Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia Mikhail Bogdanov, Special Envoy of the Chinese Government for the Middle East Zhai Jun, Secretary for Relations with Africa and the Middle East with the Brazilian Foreign Ministry Carlos Duarte, and Director of the Department for Western Asia and North Africa at the Indian Foreign Ministry Dr. Pradeep Rajpurohit.
"Relevant issues on the regional agenda were discussed in detail with an emphasis on the development of the situation in Sudan, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, Libya, along with the Palestinian-Israeli and Western Sahara settlements, as well as in the Persian Gulf zone. At the same time, it was emphasized that problems faced by the countries of the Middle East and North Africa must be resolved in accordance with the norms of international law and the provisions of the UN Charter, based on the principles of non-interference in the internal affairs of states, and respect for their sovereignty and territorial integrity," the Russian Foreign Ministry said after the meeting.
Those participating in the talks confirmed the BRICS nations' intention to continue cooperation and deepen political dialogue in order to find and promote a consensus, along with political and diplomatic solutions, to the crises that the region is facing.
"As a result of the consultations, a joint statement was adopted. In addition, it was agreed on that the next meeting of BRICS representatives in this format will be held in 2024 in the Russian Federation," the Russian Foreign Ministry added.