VLADIVOSTOK: Mushahid Hussain Syed became the first Pakistani to speak at the official International BRICS Forum, hosted by Russia, the current Chair, in Vladivostok, a city near North Korea and Japan.
The two-day event, organised by the ruling United Russia Party, revealed that 29 countries, including Pakistan, have applied for membership in BRICS. Hussain was introduced by Senator Andrei Klimov, a senior member of the United Russia Party and head of its Foreign Relations Committee.
This group represents almost half the world’s population and accounts for 30% of global GDP, including 50% of the world’s oil and gas producers.
Mushahid Hussain, who serves as the Co-Chairman of the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP) and leads two think tanks in Pakistan focused on China and Africa, delivered a keynote speech.
He expressed hope for Pakistan’s inclusion in BRICS, stating, “Pakistan wants to join BRICS as part of the new emerging order of the Global South.” He added, “As a member of the UN Security Council during 2025-2026, Pakistan will be a robust voice for peace, justice, and the oppressed.”
Hussain criticized the post-World War II Western-backed global economic and political order, highlighting that it was unraveling. He noted that organizations like BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) would be the pillars of this new global order, which will be based on the United Nations Charter, international law, and the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, and will reject hegemony, military dictates, and double standards.
He outlined the major trends in contemporary international relations, which include the democratisation of international relations through dialogue, demilitarisation to counter new Cold War hysteria, and de-dollarisation of the international financial system.
On security issues, Hussain welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s June 14 initiative for a new Eurasian Security paradigm, which emphasises the indivisible security of nations, ensuring that no country’s security is compromised at the expense of others. He also praised Chinese President Xi Jinping’s ‘Global Security Initiative.’
In conclusion, Hussain thanked Russia and China for their principled positions on what he described as the Gaza Genocide, condemning Israel for losing the battle politically, morally, legally, and diplomatically.
He also criticized the declining West for its double standards and complicity in the actions in Gaza, which he declared a crime against humanity as per the International Court of Justice.
