Authored by Andrey Kortunov,

This week's Kazan Declaration suggests that the BRICS – in its expanded composition– is ready to open a new chapter in its history.

Never before have such voluminous documents been adopted as a result of the group's summits.

Moreover, the Kazan Declaration will be the subject of great interest in the world's political and academic circles, as well as the object of criticism by opponents of BRICS.

For the first time, the group's unified vision of the current state of the international system is set out in detail.