BRICS, with its new members, is a force that strengthens the Global South, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said in an official speech on the BRICS 2024 Summit released by the country's presidency.
"BRICS has now been strengthened and in fact all of us felt that this strengthens the Global South," the South African leader said.
Global South is powerful now, and if more of its countries become BRICS members, it becomes even more powerful, as the cooperation within the organization promotes multilateralism, the development of Global South countries at an economic, cultural, and social level, and also promotes the unity of the people of the South, according to Ramaphosa.
"This time we had the new members of BRICS who participated, and we were rather pleased to have now an expanded BRICS that has brought together a number of other African countries," he said.
On the sidelines of the summit, the South African delegation had bilateral talks with Egypt, Congo, Brazil, Iran, and the UAE, which was a good opportunity to interact with other countries to advance South Africa's interests, the African leader noted.
"This has been the most important Summit for us," the president emphasized.
Ramaphosa described the 2024 summit as the most successful BRICS Summit, recalling that the previous one, which was held in South Africa's Johannesburg, was also successful.
Russians 'Are Our Best Friends', Ramaphosa Says
In response to the criticism of John Steenhuisen, leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA) party, which is part of the government of national unity, according to which Pretoria should not have allied relations with Moscow, Ramaphosa reiterated that Russia is a valued ally and a valued friend who has supported the country from the very beginning.
"They [Russia] are our best friends," the South African president said at the meeting of the National Executive Committee, which is the executive organ of the African National Congress party.