Moscow - Saba:
The Russian Foreign Ministry announced that Minister Sergey Lavrov discussed the urgent need for reform of the organization with World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala during their meeting in Brazil on the sidelines of the BRICS summit.
Sputnik quoted the ministry as saying in a statement: "On July 6, in Rio de Janeiro, on the sidelines of the 17th BRICS summit, a meeting was held between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala."
The statement continued: "The urgent need to reform the WTO was emphasized based on the principles of inclusiveness, non-discrimination, transparency, and mutual respect."
The ministry also noted an exchange of views on some aspects of the Russian side's interaction with the WTO Secretariat.
The 17th BRICS Summit will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on July 6 and 7.
It is worth noting that BRICS is an intergovernmental group founded in 2006 by Brazil, Russia, India, and China. South Africa later joined the group in 2011. Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the UAE joined in early 2024, and Indonesia joined in early 2025.
As of January 1, 2025, BRICS partners include Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Malaysia, Thailand, Uganda, Bolivia, Algeria, Vietnam, Cuba, Nigeria, and Turkey.
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