June 11 2024
His Excellency, Sergei Victorovich Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation,
Your Excellencies, Ministers of Foreign Affairs,
Distinguished heads of delegations and delegates:
On behalf of the Cuban government and people, I would like to thank my country for inviting me to participate in this important Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, which is being held under the hospitable presidency of the Russian Federation. I would also like to congratulate Ethiopia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Iran on their incorporation as full members of the BRICS, since January 1.
With this necessary and strategic expansion, the Group represents more than 45% of the world's population and a third of the planet's GDP. It is consolidating itself as a key player in global geopolitics, with growing relevance on a planetary scale and hope for the countries of the South in the construction of a more just, equitable and sustainable multilateral international order.
The world urgently needs a new civilized coexistence where solidarity, cooperation and integration between States prevail. The BRICS can contribute significantly to this historic demand of the South, especially on the path towards the necessary reform of the current international financial system, which is deeply unjust, undemocratic, speculative and exclusive.
In order to more effectively confront the current global food crisis, the contribution of the BRICS to agricultural development and food production is significant, whose practices and experiences constitute valid references for other nations, as is also the case with the use and generation of renewable energies in development projects, a matter of vital importance for the nations of the South. The promotion of cooperation in this area would contribute to developing cleaner and more durable generation matrices, would provide stability to a sector so sensitive to development and would contribute to confronting climate change.
The New BRICS Development Bank constitutes a fortress so that the projects that this Group has proposed to develop have local financial support, based on the use of their own national currencies.
It also constitutes an important alternative and opportunity for the nations of the South, which will allow them to access financial resources on favorable terms. The expansion of the membership of the New Development Bank would increase its international influence and contribute to mobilizing financing to key areas for the development of the countries of the South.
The BRICS initiative to launch a broad-based foreign currency reserve mechanism, which guarantees certainty and stability to the South, as well as the establishment of mutual credit lines in local currencies, is an important contribution to the formation of a new and inclusive international financial architecture.
With its extension to other countries, this process would contribute to alleviating the imbalances of the current monetary system, which maintains the US dollar as an instrument of pressure and as a weapon to impose unilateral coercive measures, which have a very negative impact on the economy of many of our peoples. Distinguished Ministers and delegates:
For decades, Cuba has maintained excellent relations with the founding members of the BRICS and with those who recently joined the Group, as well as with all the countries invited to this important meeting, present here.
I welcome and support the BRICS' demand for an end to the genocide in Palestine and the exercise of the inalienable rights of its people, including having their own State within the pre-1967 borders and with its capital in East Jerusalem, as well as the return of refugees.
We call for an end to unilateral coercive measures against Russia and to NATO's actions to fuel the conflict.
I reiterate Cuba's determination to evaluate all possible avenues for closer relations with the BRICS, in search of mutual benefits, including the possibility of becoming an Associate State of the group.
Cuba is happily involved in far-reaching initiatives promoted by member countries of the Group, such as the Belt and Road Initiative and other global Chinese initiatives and the projects of the Eurasian Economic Union as an Observer member.
Likewise, we maintain bilateral ties in important areas that will contribute to achieving our objectives set out in the National Economic and Social Development Plan and in the fulfillment of the Sustainable Development Goals.
We are a small island developing State that has resisted and continues to resist for more than 60 years a fierce economic, commercial and financial blockade, which has intensified in recent years to unprecedented levels, and has a very negative impact on every sector of Cuban society and causes humanitarian damage and shortages and suffering to our noble people, who do not give up their dreams of peace, social justice and development.
In this endeavour, we are grateful for the permanent and supportive support of the countries present here and of the entire international community.
From this platform I would like to reiterate Cuba's willingness to share with the BRICS its modest experiences and results in the fields of the medical, pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industry, health, education, science, among other sectors for the benefit of our peoples and all those in the South.
We agree with the BRICS on the importance and need to continue strengthening integration and cooperation, based on multilateralism and respect for diversity, in pursuit of an international order based on the sovereign equality of States, that is fair, democratic and equitable.
We reiterate to the Russian Federation our best wishes for success during its pro tempore presidency of the BRICS and in the holding of its XVI Summit, which will take place from 22 to 24 October 2024 in Kazan.