MOSCOW

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Friday called a group of five leading emerging economies – Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa – also known as BRICS, an "embodiment of global multipolarity."

Speaking at a news conference in Eritrea's capital Massawa, Lavrov said NATO started making its claims on the Asia Pacific, Africa, Latin America in order to restore colonialism "in new form."

"We know that American, British and other European delegations regularly appear in Africa, which, with persistence worthy of better application, demand that African countries not cooperate with the Russian delegation.

"No visits with mentoring councils, hybrid wars of the West (including in Ukraine) will be able to stop the development of new centers of economic power, financial and political influence. Countries such as China and India are already surpassing the US and EU members by many indicators," the minister said.

He added that Türkiye, Egypt, Persian Gulf states, Brazil and other Latin American countries are "the future centers of multipolarity."

Lavrov called Africa "the richest continent" with "colossal potential," which "has been exploited for centuries," and supported the idea of Angolan President Joao Lourenco of convening a summit aimed at finding Africa's place in the forming multipolar world.

He said similar processes are underway in Latin America, where countries mull establishment of their own financial mechanisms and "even mention a common currency" in order to "protect themselves from mechanisms controlled by the West that have shown their unreliability."

"Strengthening regional self-awareness in areas of the developing world does not mean that multipolarity does not go in a global dimension.

"BRICS is the embodiment of global multipolarity. The organization unites five states, but more than a dozen states are interested in joining its work. ... The clock of multipolar history is ticking in the right direction," he said.

The top Russian diplomat said Western media tried to "perversely, twistedly" cover his visits to South Africa, Eswatini and Angola, claiming that his visits "provoke negative reaction" in South Africa.

Turning to the meeting with his Eritrean counterpart Osman Saleh Mohammed, Lavrov said he discussed with him the situation in the Horn of Africa, also known as the Somali Peninsula.

"We welcome the efforts made by the leaders of Ethiopia and Somalia to normalize the internal situation in these countries. We are ready to contribute to such processes," he said, and also praised the recent cease-fire agreement between Ethiopia and the Tigray People's Liberation Front, ending two-year war.

About the Russia-Africa summit that will take place in Saint Petersburg in July, he said it will be focused on four major issues: food and energy security, technology and healthcare.