BRICS summit decisions will change course of 21st century: Venezuelan leader

Source:Xinhua Published: 2014-7-16 11:31:48

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said in Caracas Tuesday that the decisions taken at a BRICS summit will change the course of the 21st century.

"The BRICS have made very important decisions to change the political and economic world order," said Maduro in his weekly TV program.

The bloc has "decided to create a development bank with 100 billion dollars as starting capital, and a commercial and financial system among its members to use its local currencies instead of US dollars," said Maduro.

Leaders of the world's five emerging economies -- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa -- started their two-day summit on Tuesday in the Brazilian city of Fortaleza.

They announced plans to establish a development bank to be headquartered in the Chinese financial hub of Shanghai and a contingent reserve arrangement (CRA).

Maduro will attend meetings in Brazil between BRICS, the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) on Wednesday and Thursday, to deepen the cooperation between these blocs.

The Venezuelan president is also set to attend a meeting between CELAC member nations and Chinese President Xi Jinping, in a bid to establish strategic relationship between the bloc and China.

"Our foreign policy is well advanced. It's at the center of all world events to continue deepening our alliance with BRICS," he said.

Later this week, Maduro will meet with Xi in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas.

Posted in: Americas

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