Johannesburg – The Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni hosted a Friends of BRICS National Security Advisers Meeting with her BRICS Security counterparts in Sandton yesterday.
According to a department statement, the meeting was convened on the sidelines of the 15th BRICS Leaders’ Summit, constituted by all Security Ministers of the BRICS countries.
The Friends of BRICS countries who attended this meeting are Belarus, Burundi, Cuba, Egypt, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
Ntshavheni said that the Friends of BRICS platform offers an opportunity for a mutually inclusive, secure, and conducive environment that is conducive to global peace and economic development.
Ntshavheni added that as a reinforcement in the way things are done through both the BRICS and the Multi-Lateral System of the United Nations as we deal with challenges such as counter-terrorism, trans-national crimes, and cybersecurity.
"Where a child of Africa can develop and have access to opportunities like a child of China, India, Brazil, Russia, and other countries under conditions of meaningful cooperation," she said.
She said that it was a historic meeting because it was the first physical meeting after three years of the Covid-19 pandemic and a meeting that included the friends of BRICS to focus on matters of common interest and mutual benefit.
This will generate enduring partnerships, resulting in enhanced global development, strengthened global resilience, and global peace.
Ntshavheni said that as a reinforcement in the way things are done through both the BRICS and the Multi-Lateral System of the United Nations, as we deal with challenges such as counter-terrorism, trans-national crimes, and cybersecurity,
According to her department, for the rest of the day, the BRICS members held several bilaterals among themselves and friends of BRICS countries on various other issues and interests that concern the individual countries.
“It is expected that such engagements will continue into the future on matters of common interest between these countries,” added the statement.
The Star