BRICS summit 2025:"Brazil is channeling the voices of the Global South"

CGTN Europe

CGTN Europe interviewed Gustavo Westmann, Special Advisor for International Affairs of the Presidency of the Republic of Brazil

Transcript

00:00Gustavo Westman is the Special Advisor for International Affairs of Brazil's Presidency of the BRICS.

00:07Great to have you on the program. So you are there, you're at the BRICS, Thomas.

00:11Give us an idea about the mood. Is everyone talking about Trump's tariffs?

00:18Hey, Juliet, good morning, good afternoon, good to be here.

00:21Well, I think the mood's quite good.

00:23I think it's good to see different countries speaking the same language in such a conflict moment.

00:30I wouldn't say that the Trump announcement has impacted the meeting.

00:34It was actually seen for some of our colleagues as a positive thing.

00:39If it borders Trump, that means we are making progress and BRICS calling the attention of the world.

00:46So I'll say things are going pretty well, pretty smooth, and the results are quite concrete at the end of the day.

00:54Well, at this summit, Brazil has been hoping to consolidate the country's position as a leader within BRICS.

00:59But also amongst the Global South. How far have you got so far?

01:06Oh, Juliet, I think we're making quite a lot of progress in this sense.

01:09I think that the challenge ahead demands innovative answers, new answers.

01:15And Brazil is trying to join the Global South around a message to the world, right?

01:19A message that we need reform, a message that we need to reform the United Nations Security Council.

01:24So we have to strengthen multilateralism, and I think the countries are in line around it.

01:32So it's not about Brazil's leadership.

01:34Let's say that Brazil is facilitating or channeling these voices of the Global South around a common message to the world

01:42that you cannot keep deciding on the future of the world by ignoring 50% or even more of the EDC.

01:49So the voices of the countries have to be heard.

01:52And that's the message we are sending to the world here.

01:55You say some of the delegates are quite pleased to have got Trump's attention.

01:59But how can BRICS advance their goals without alienating big trading partners like the US, the UK, the EU and Australia?

02:08Well, that's important to say, Julia, that BRICS is not against the West, the global North, right?

02:17But that's something that people are still making some confusion.

02:20For Brazil and the other countries, we are super ready and we are open to keep negotiating with our traditional partners.

02:26In the case of Brazil, we have the recent announcement of the Mercosur-European Union Agreement.

02:31So that's not the path.

02:33What we are saying is that we are also ready to provide different solutions within BRICS and outside BRICS to compensate

02:41or, let's say, to overcome the challenges we are facing.

02:45So some of the results we achieved or reached during these days in negotiations

02:50is concrete steps on reduction of cost of transactions, increased methods of payments in local currency.

02:58So we are staying to the world. We are also ready to create alternatives within BRICS

03:04to facilitate and to promote, to overcome the economic challenge the world has been going through.

03:10Gustavo, I do wonder if what's happening on the sidelines in bilateral meetings like this are more important.

03:19Well, that's a tough question, Julia.

03:21I followed some bilateral meetings from our president, minister of the Office.

03:26I think we are having a fantastic bilateral meeting.

03:30That's the opportunity when leaders have the chance to speak frankly and openly.

03:34The demands are clear.

03:36I think what has been noted is we are all really speaking the same language.

03:41But I wouldn't say it's more important or less important.

03:45I think the message as a group has been sent and that has a very strong power.

03:50But a lot has been decided on the sidelines and I think in the next weeks we will see these results.

03:57Gustavo, always great talking to you.

03:59Gustavo Westman, special advisor for international affairs of Brazil's BRICS presidency.

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