Valdai Club

On September 8, at 3:00 p.m. MSK (GMT+3), the Valdai Discussion Club will hold an online presentation of a new report, titled “Anti-Crisis Impulses of BRICS-Plus: From BRICS Countries to Regional Partners”.

This year, Russia holds the presidency of the BRICS. The end of August and the beginning of September were marked by a series of meetings within the framework of the association. On September 4, a video conference of the foreign ministers of the BRICS countries took place. The agenda of the meetings is in one way or another related to the consequences of the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has led to a sharp drop in production, global demand and income, and halted much of the world’s economic activity. The current crisis has fundamentally changed the global environment and exposed the vulnerability of both developing and developed countries alike to unexpected shocks. The post-crisis world must seek new forms of cooperation and multilateral mechanisms to be prepared for adverse shocks, in light of the poor degree of coordination between countries in responding to the current downturn.

In this context, the BRICS+ concept, which is based on the idea of ​​“integration of integrations” and unites the five integration blocs led by the BRICS countries, deserves more attention. Closer interaction at the level of regional integration blocs can potentially contribute to the expansion of cooperation between developing countries and consolidate efforts for economic integration for sustainable growth.

How reasonable is the BRICS+ project amid the current crisis conditions? What forms of anti-crisis cooperation can be developed within BRICS+? What is the significance of Russia’s chairmanship in the association for the BRICS+ project? Participants of the online presentation will answer these and other questions.

Speakers:

• Ekaterina Arapova, Director, Senior Research Fellow, Sanctions Policy Expertise Centre; Head of the Department for Academic Development, Institute of International Studies, MGIMO University;
• Pavel Chernyshev, Head of Section of Multilateral Financial Cooperation, Department of International Financial Relations, Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation;
• Artem Kalabukhov, First Secretary of the BRICS Section, Department of Foreign Policy Planning, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation;
  
• Cyril Prinsloo, Researcher on Economic Diplomacy at the South African Institute of International Affairs;
• Francisco de Santibañes, Director General at the Argentine Council on International Relations (CARI).

Moderator:

• Yaroslav Lissovolik, Programme Director of the Valdai Discussion Club.

Working languages: Russian, English.

For accreditation, you must fill out the form on our website and indicate your personal mobile number with the WhatsApp application installed. 

Please send questions for speakers to press@valdaiclub.com or via WhatsApp to the number: +79269307763. Be sure to include your name and title, as well as the name of the speaker to whom the question is being addressed. Questions will be asked during the Q&A session.

A link to the live broadcast of the discussion will be posted on all online platforms used by the Valdai Club: on the website, on Facebook, Vkontakte, Instagram, and Telegram.