SPIEF 2024
The 2024 edition of the St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) takes place from June 5 to 8. The theme of this year's event is “The foundation of a multipolar world - forming new points of growth”.

Russia's BRICS Presidency to Promote Members’ Common Interests - Lawmaker

Special attention of Russia’s chairmanship in BRICS will be paid to increasing coordination of the members’ foreign policies and promoting their common interests at international parliamentary platforms, Russian lower house First Deputy Chairman Alexander Zhukov said on Thursday.
Sputnik

"Russia's BRICS chairmanship will put special effort into increasing coordination among foreign policies and promoting common interests of the BRICS member states at international parliamentary platforms … It is very important that our actions are coordinated with our colleagues," Zhukov said at BRICS Expert Forum at SPIEF-2024.

The BRICS Parliamentary Forum will take part in St. Petersburg in a month, he added.
"I hope that all the BRICS countries will be represented … The issues of approximation of national legislation will be discussed," the lawmaker said.
Much attention will be paid to the issues of logistics and anti-terrorist measures, Zhukov said.
Another topical issue in BRICS is the development of internal financial settlements within the organization, which would not depend on the Western banking system, the lawmaker added.
"Today, one of the most important, urgent issues is to create settlements within BRICS that would not depend on Western currencies, on the Western banking system," he said, adding that currently over 80% of all payments between the BRICS members are carried out in national currencies.
Russia took over the rotating chairmanship of BRICS in January. The club of developing economies grew by four members this year and now comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates.
The Russian city of St. Petersburg is hosting the 27th edition of SPIEF from June 5-8. Last year, the forum drew 17,000 participants from 130 countries and saw the signing of more than 900 agreements.
The BRICS Expert Forum "The Role of the BRICS in the Search for a New World Order" is being held at SPIEF on June 6, with sessions organized by the Rossiya Segodnya media group, parent agency to Sputnik, and Xinhua news agency.