Russian Ambassador to South Africa gifts UAE counterpart with souvenir BRICS banknote

A symbolic banknote of a BRICS single currency with a face value of 100 units has been presented to the head of the UAE’s diplomatic mission, Mahash Saeed Alhameli. The souvenir was presented by Russia’s Ambassador to South Africa, Ilya Rogachev, reported TASS news Agency.  

The souvenir banknote presented by Rogachev at a reception at the UAE embassy in Pretoria is dedicated to the country's accession to BRICS. Further, the diplomat said that the banknote was made in Russia. The photo of the banknote has been published by the news agency.  

BRICS note by Russian diplomat 

As per the photos seen on social media, one can witness that the central part shows the National flags of the five members of the group - Brazil, China, India, Russia and South Africa - placed inside a ring. Further, every flag has its name written in one of the official languages. The souvenir banknote highlights an image of an architectural landmark or cultural site associated with each particular country. Russia’s symbol is a panorama of the Moscow Kremlin.

On the back side of the banknote, one can see the state flags of Algeria, Argentina, Bahrain, Belarus, Venezuela, Egypt, Zimbabwe, Indonesia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Mexico and Nigeria, as well as the flag of Afghanistan, used before the seizure of power in the country by the radical Taliban. Further, the previous flag of Bangladesh, which was changed in 1972, can also be seen. Each corner of the obverse and the reverse features the name of the BRICS New Development Bank.

15th BRICS Summit 

The 15th BRICS Summit, chaired by South Africa, was held in Johannesburg, on August 22-24. The participants have agreed to include Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the UAE in the group, who would be joining the BRICS group as of January 1, 2024. During the Summit, critics from the developing nations have criticised America’s willingness to use the dollar’s global influence to impose financial sanctions against adversaries, reported AP.  

In the meeting, Kenyan President William Ruto urged African leaders to join a fledgling pan-African payments system that uses local currencies in a push to encourage more trade. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has also joined in support of a common currency for commerce within the South American bloc Mercosur and for trade among BRICS nations.