Members of the economic bloc, BRICS, and several other countries interested in joining the bloc have agreed to strengthen cybersecurity as a ''crucial element of cooperation.''
Security ministers from the emerging economies held talks in South Africa ahead on Monday focusing on security.
The Friends of BRICS meeting was convened on Monday as a build-up to the upcoming 15th BRICS Leaders' Summit.
Security Ministers of the BRICS and bloc's aliies including Belarus, Burundi, Cuba, Egypt, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates deliberate on existing and emerging threats as well as global challenges.
South African minister in charge of State Security Agency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, told the gathering that national and multilateral institutions must be strengthened in order to ensure better cybersecurity and boost counter-terrorism efforts.
Inclusive architecture
“There are also challenges that are persistent and affect all of us as a global family. We must reinforce the way we do things through both the BRICS and the multilateral system of the United Nations, as we deal with challenges such as counter-terrorism, transnational crimes and cybersecurity,” the Minister said
The minister said such meetings on issues of common interests would ''generate an enduring partnership and commitment to a friendship that will ultimately result in enhanced global development and strengthened global resilience and global peace.”
The delegates agreed that cybersecurity remains a crucial element of cooperation and that the architecture supporting a safer cybersecurity environment needs to be ''inclusive and accessible to all countries.''
The BRICS countries comprising of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa are due to hold a summit in South Africa in August to discuss security, economy, and international issues.
Russian President Vladimir Putin was initially due to attend the gathering but last week South Africa issued a statement that he had decided not to attend after an agreement. President Putin is facing an ICC arrest warrant relating to his country's war with Ukraine.
