Russia is set to host the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan, stated to start from Tuesday, October 22, 2024, to Thursday, October 24, 2024.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will take part in the three-day summit, which will continue the annual program of the Russian 2024 BRICS chairmanship held under the motto; “Strengthening Multilateralism for Equitable Global Development and Security.”
Putin is set to meet with several world leaders in the upcoming days, including China’s Xi Jinping, India’s Narendra Modi, Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Iran’s Masoud Pezeshkian in the Russian city of Kazan.
BRICS, originally formed by Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, has expanded significantly this year. New members include Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia.
Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Malaysia have also formally applied, with other countries expressing interest.
During the summit, the BRICS leaders will exchange views on topical issues on the global and regional agenda, discuss the three main areas of cooperation outlined by the Russian chairmanship: politics and security, economy and finance, as well as cultural and humanitarian contacts.
The Kremlin added that special attention will be paid to the possible expansion of BRICS through the planned establishment of a new category of “partner states.”
Reports from the heads of the New Development Bank, the Business Council, the Interbank Cooperation Mechanism and the BRICS Women’s Business Alliance will also be heard.
International issues, especially the escalation of the situation in the Middle East, will be on the agenda of the summit to be held in Kazan.
The interaction between the BRICS countries and the Global South for sustainable development are also included in the agenda.
Putin is said to hold bilateral meetings with almost all leaders participating in the summit.
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov disclosed that while the Ukraine conflict will not feature on the agenda of the coming BRICS summit, participants can feel free to discuss the issue.
The Kremlin press service reported that on the last day of the summit, there will be a meeting in the BRICS Plus/Outreach format with the participation of representatives from almost 40 countries.
It added that the meeting will be attended by the heads of the CIS countries, delegations from many Asian, African, Middle Eastern and Latin American countries, as well as the Heads of executive bodies of a number of international organizations.
Russian officials already view the summit as a major success. According to Putin’s Foreign Policy Aide, Yuri Ushakov, 32 countries have confirmed participation, with more than 20 heads of state attending.
Ushakov mentioned that Putin plans to hold around 20 bilateral meetings, suggesting this could become “the largest foreign policy event ever held” on Russian soil.
Signal Of BRICS’ Success
Sergey Ordzhonikidze, former UN Deputy Secretary-General and Ex-Deputy Head of the Russian Foreign Ministry, told a Russian news agency that the fact that Russia has managed to organize an event on such a scale is a clear sign that BRICS has succeeded as an important international venue.
Ordzhonikidze added that it has been recognized by many countries with “serious global clout and they are viewing Russia as an important partner in their foreign relations.”
According to the expert, for Russia, the BRICS summit is one of the largest international events of a geopolitical significance.
He noted that the scale of the summit indicates that Russia’s international clout has not been undermined, as the West had hoped, and the country has not been isolated.
Also, Alexey Martynov, Director of the International Institute of the Newly Established States and an Associate Professor noted that BRICS has demonstrated a stable economic growth and many would like to be involved in this.
He claimed that many businessmen from “so-called unfriendly countries” are currently seeking ways of joining various BRICS-related projects via intermediaries.
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