ASTANA – Kazakh First Deputy Foreign Minister Akan Rakhmetullin stressed the importance of collective decisions and solidarity of Global South countries amid growing geopolitical tensions and economic instability at an April 29 meeting of the BRICS Council of Foreign Ministers in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
BRICS Foreign Ministers meeting. Photo credit: gov.kz
According to the Kazakh Foreign Ministry’s press service, Rakhmetullin reaffirmed Kazakhstan’s commitment to sustainable development goals (SDGs), emphasized the relevance of the climate agenda, and regional cooperation in Central Asia in water resources management, digital transformation, and energy.
He particularly noted the holding of the Regional Climate Summit in Kazakhstan under the auspices of the UN in 2026, and expressed gratitude for supporting the creation of the UN Regional Center for SDGs for Central Asia and Afghanistan. He expressed Kazakhstan’s intention to expand economic ties with the BRICS countries and implement joint projects.
The meeting was held under Brazil’s 2025 BRICS chairmanship theme, Strengthening Cooperation of the Countries of the Global South for More Inclusive and Sustainable Governance
Rakhmetullin also took part in a roundtable with the Brazilian business community and Kazakhstan’s Honorary Consuls, and held bilateral meetings with senior officials from Brazil, Bolivia, Belarus, and Iran. He also met with the management of the SEBRI analytical center and the Getúlio Vargas Foundation.
BRICS currently includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia. Alongside Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, and Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan has had the status of a BRICS partner country since Jan. 1.
