On June 6, 2024, H.E. Mrs. Dilma Rousseff, NDB President met H.E. Mr. Vladimir Putin, President of BRICS chair country, Russia. The meeting was held on the sidelines of St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) 2024.
“Today I had the honour to take part in this very important forum about the new emerging multipolar world. I believe that today the world increasingly needs to become more multipolar, as the Global North has not been able to solve the global problems of humanity,” said Mrs. Dilma Rousseff.
“The NDB has specific goals: to fill this gap and provide the necessary investments; and Russia certainly plays a very important role in this. We are a different bank from the rest. We are a bank created by the countries of the Global South for the countries of the Global South.”
In his welcoming remark Mr. Vladimir Putin noted, “I am confident that, drawing on your vast experience in government work and knowledge in this area, you will make every effort to develop this institution – which I think is essential today”.
Mrs. Dilma Rousseff highlighted the NDB’s mandate of mobilizing resources for infrastructure and sustainable development projects in BRICS and other emerging economies and developing countries, complementing the existing efforts of multilateral and regional financial institutions for global growth and development.
“I believe that we are a bank that plays an essential role in what is the theme of today’s forum: multipolarity is impossible without the multipolar economy. Of course, the multipolar world is also reflected in national currencies, which is another obligation of the bank: to attract and carry out settlements in national currencies,” said Mrs. Dilma Rousseff.
“Our countries in BRICS are increasing the use of national currencies in their mutual settlements. In this regard, I believe the bank can also play a significant role in boosting our joint activities”, noted Mr. Vladimir Putin.
“This is very important for developing countries that do not have their own strong currencies and suffer greatly from exchange rate volatility. Therefore, it is very important for us to be together today and discuss such an important topic as the NDB’s presence and involvement in the life of the BRICS member countries, Russia being one of them,” added Mrs. Dilma Rousseff, NDB President.