💬 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov: The philosophy of equality, now the dominant trend, is particularly characteristic of BRICS. The nations representing very different civilisations within this association demonstrate unity in their determination to maximise opportunities for joint development and do so not at anyone’s expense or to anyone’s detriment, but for the prosperity and security of their peoples [...] Unfortunately, the objective process of strengthening multipolarity is facing aggressive opposition from our Western counterparts and their elites. They continue to perceive these developments as a threat to the dominance they have enjoyed for five hundred years during the periods of slavery and colonialism, and are trying to retain their waning dominance by resorting to the most unscrupulous methods, including illegal ones, such as unilateral sanctions, outright pressure, interference in internal affairs, and instigation of conflicts. Excerpt from FM Lavrov’s remarks at the session “A New Global Architecture: An Open Dialogue with Sergey Lavrov” during the Federal Educational Marathon “Znanie.Pervye” in Ekaterinburg (16 September 2026)