View from Australia: A diplomatic victory of Vladimir Putin

Vladimir Putin with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Photo: RAI Novosti

Russian President Vladimir Putin has scored a diplomatic victory by welcoming the leaders of China, India and South Africa at the opening of a summit of emerging market countries bidding to rebalance a world order now dominated by the United States, writes ‘The Sydney Morning Herald’.

Putin was able to cast himself as a global statesman by rolling out the red carpet for the likes of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Xi’s plane was escorted by a Russian fighter jet before he landed in Kazan to red-carpet treatment, which included an honour guard and women in traditional costumes bearing plates of Tatar snacks known as chak-chak.

Putin received the visiting leaders at the historic Kazan Kremlin, an ornate centuries-old castle.

Putin sought to use the gathering to show that he has powerful allies and influence in the world.

“Russia-China co-operation in international affairs is one of the main stabilising factors in the world,” he told Xi, whom he addressed as a “dear friend” at the beginning of a bilateral meeting. “We will continue to collaborate to establish a just world order.”

The summit is perhaps the highest-profile international event in Russian history, according to the state RIA News Agency.

Over three days, Putin hosts Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the first NATO member to indicate interest in joining the group of countries, and the United Nations secretary-general, Antonio Guterres (photo):

Photo: RIA Novosti

The day before the summit, India and China reached an agreement on patrolling their shared Himalayan border, potentially easing the icy hostility between the Asian giants after a deadly skirmish between their troops four years ago.

Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said the agreement had come after weeks of intense talks between diplomatic and military negotiators from both sides. The agreement, Misri said, was designed to lead to “disengagement and a resolution of the issues that had arisen in these areas in 2020″.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Lin Jian, said: “Now both sides have arrived at a resolution on the relevant matter, which China views favourably. Going forward, the Chinese side and Indian side will implement those resolutions.”

Some countries, among them China, Russia and Iran, want to use BRICS to challenge the power of the United States, particularly its ability to wield economic sanctions. Others, such as India and Brazil, are more interested in reforming global institutions like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund to better serve the needs of the developing world.

A key topic for the summit is to build a global payments system similar to the global banking network known as SWIFT, which Russia was excluded from because of its invasion of Ukraine. Talks are also under way to add more countries to the group, including a new “partner” category that would require less involvement from interested states.

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