The BRICS academic thematic conference "Strengthening BRICS Connectivity: Fostering Cooperation" was convened in Moscow recently to discuss how to make transport and trade corridors resilient, the reliability of critical resource supply chains, and technological cooperation, particularly in AI.

Held under India's BRICS chairmanship, it brought together experts from nine countries: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, the UAE, Iran and Ethiopia.

The recommendations will contribute to preparing materials for the BRICS Summit in September.

Victoria Panova, head of the BRICS Expert Council–Russia, said today, resilience and sovereignty are fundamental prerequisites for development, with transport connectivity, supply chains and independent technological ecosystems forming the backbone of BRICS’ economic security. "BRICS is perhaps the only platform capable of transforming the current situation and proposing a new model of global governance,” she said.

Pavel Knyazev, ambassador-at-large of Russia’s foreign affairs ministry and Russia's BRICS sous-Sherpa, said the group has reached the level of a strategic partnership with substantial results. He highlighted the importance of the core principles of BRICS cooperation, which serve not only the interests of the group's members but also those of most countries worldwide.

Nikhilesh Giri, deputy chief of mission at the Indian Embassy in Russia, called for reform of the UN, the IMF and the World Bank. As for BRICS, he said technological partnership and stronger ties among the members create new opportunities for sustainable development.

During the session on transport, experts from Russia, the UAE and Egypt examined the International North-South Transport Corridor, a 7,200-kilometer multi-modal network connecting India, Iran, Russia, and Central Asia via ship, rail and road, and the Northern Sea Route, a 5,600-km shipping lane along Russia’s Arctic coast, as alternatives to traditional logistics chains.

"Resilient networks must be diversified, with backup routes, digital integration and the capacity to adapt to crises," said Nilanjan Ghosh, vice president of the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), a think tank in India analyzing security, strategy, economy and development.

At the session on resources, participants from India, South Africa, China and Iran discussed expanding raw material processing directly in the producing regions. Philani Mthembu, executive director of the Institute for Global Dialogue in Pretoria, South Africa, stressed that BRICS cooperation is helping African countries develop their own value chains for processing raw materials and manufacturing higher value-added products.

During the session on technology and AI, Walter Desidera Neto, a researcher and coordinator of Studies in Economic Relations at the Institute for Applied Economic Research and Brazil's coordinator for the BRICS Think Tanks Council, described the shortage of computing infrastructure as one of the main constraints to technological development. He proposed joint investment in supercomputers, networks and cloud computing.

"The BRICS group should develop common principles and values in the field of AI, making digital infrastructure a foundation not only for economic growth but also for innovation," he said.

Shimellis Hailu Dessie, director general for European and American Affairs at the Institute of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, advocated the development of independent BRICS technological standards.

Beyond these core topics, the discussions also covered the digitization of ports and customs, risk management, infrastructure financing via the BRICS New Development Bank and the green transition of extractive industries. Educational initiatives, expert exchanges, public diplomacy, and synergy between technological and energy cooperation were also discussed.

The conference was organized by the BRICS Expert Council–Russia with the ORF, within the framework of the BRICS Think Tanks Council.

（Edited by: YU Haoyuan）