New Development Bank’s Rousseff Insists BRICS Be Guided by Two Principles—Peace and Development
Aug. 20, 2023, 2022 (EIRNS)—Finally, the world has an international development bank headed by a stateswoman, instead of a banker! The advantages of that became very clear in the half-hour interview with the head of the BRICS New Development Bank, former Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, which China’s CGTN broadcast the night of Aug. 19 on its “Leaders Talk” program.
Rousseff spoke of how her experience as President of a developing country, with millions of its people living in absolute poverty, made her very sensitive to the problems faced by other developing countries. She expressed excitement, while as President of Brazil she had always acted from her belief that Brazil could become a great country, without poverty, now she has the opportunity to help other countries develop and improve the living conditions of their people. The New Development Bank was announced in 2014 at the BRICS Summit in Fortaleza, Brazil, when as national President, she was the summit’s host.
The New Development Bank is a young institution, but it is now thriving, focused on providing the finance developing countries require to deal with all their problems, she emphasized. Infrastructure is key, she added; all kinds of infrastructure: logistics, 5G digital, and high-speed rail like China has! We are here to improve people’s lives. She suggested the BRICS bank can serve as a platform for different countries to share their successful experiences in doing that. “Every country can develop its own model and learn from the best practices of others.”
Rousseff minced no words on the unacceptability of a world order in which sanctions use economic means as a form of warfare. Their intent is to cause social problems, disrupt societies, in order to create the conditions for changing the government. No country can dictate to another country what system it must use; countries have different civilizations and different histories. The use of “long-arm jurisdictions” (referring to secondary sanctions) goes against the entire history of development in the world. Notably, she cited the huge, negative impact upon the German chemical industry as an example of the damage caused by the sanctions against Russia.
Twice, she insisted that the two principles that must prevail in global relations and global change, are peace and of development. The BRICS cooperation mechanism will make a significant contribution to world peace and development, she stressed.
CGTN had not posted the full interview as of the writing of this note, although it has published notes and released small clips of it in various languages, including English, Spanish and Italian.
