Russia hosts BRICS Summit: LIVE UPDATES
The 16th BRICS summit is taking place in Kazan, where dozens of foreign leaders have gathered in Russia’s fifth-largest city for three days of intense diplomatic discussions and high-level bilateral talks as part of the international forum which offers a new vision of multilateralism.
The current BRICS member countries – Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Ethiopia, Egypt, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates – collectively represent around 46% of the world’s population and over 36% of global GDP, according to estimates from global financial institutions.
Nearly three dozen states have expressed interest in joining BRICS or deepening cooperation with the group, and many of them have sent top level delegations to Kazan. Existing members agreed to discuss granting partner status to some of these nations and may approve some bids during the summit.
On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to hold talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi before the summit officially begins with a dinner later in the day.
22 October 2024
07:09 GMTSerbia, which earlier signaled interest in joining BRICS, is sending top officials to attend the group’s summit in Kazan, President Aleksandar Vucic told RTS news outlet on Monday. The delegation will include Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin, Defense Minister Bratislav Gasic, Economy Minister Adrijana Mesarovic, and Minister for Economic Cooperation Nenad Popovic.
Vucic said he will not be able to attend the event due to scheduling issues amid a visit from several EU officials.
- 06:54 GMT
Ukraine has slammed UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for accepting an invitation to attend the BRICS Summit in Kazan, claiming that the move harms the body’s reputation.
The UN Secretary General declined Ukraine's invitation to the first Global Peace Summit in Switzerland. He did, however, accept the invitation to Kazan from war criminal Putin. This is a wrong choice that does not advance the cause of peace. It only damages the UN's reputation.
— MFA of Ukraine 🇺🇦 (@MFA_Ukraine) October 21, 2024 - 06:25 GMT
“The role of BRICS is to try to bring order to a world which is in a process of enormous change,” Erik Solheim, former under-secretary-general of the UN, told CGTN ahead of the summit in Kazan.
“It is an opportunity for a much more peaceful world. There is so much for the West to learn from the Global South, and BRICS is an opportunity to bring those lessons to the global table.”
- 06:10 GMT
“The historic expansion of BRICS creates further opportunities to foster robust trade and development cooperation,” South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has said at the BRICS Business Forum in the Russian city of Kazan, which preceded the BRICS Summit on Tuesday.
“The group accounts for 27% of global GDP and a fifth of world exports. The opportunities for cooperation and economic progress are immense,” he added. Ramaphosa urged BRICS partners to help in the industrialization of the countries on the African continent.
- 06:02 GMT
Particular attention at the BRICS Summit will be given to the potential future expansion of the economic bloc through the proposed category of ‘partner nations’.
- 05:57 GMT
The chairpersons of the BRICS New Development Bank, the Business Council, the Interbank Cooperation Mechanism, and the Women’s Business Alliance are expected to deliver reports during the upcoming summit.
- 05:53 GMT
Brazilian media reports claim the country could veto Venezuela’s potential entry into BRICS. According to G1 news outlet, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is opposed to the idea and has informed his team attending the group’s summit. He will not be able to travel to Kazan due to an injury.
- 05:52 GMT
According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the number of countries engaging with BRICS has been steadily growing, with approximately 34 nations expressing interest in cooperation as of September.
“Our group is expanding. The number of friends and like-minded individuals within the BRICS association has increased, and interest in our activities is very high,” Putin said last week, stressing that the group is not an “anti-Western” organization but “simply non-Western.”
- 05:51 GMT
“India values the close cooperation within BRICS,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday, prior to boarding a plane to head to the Russian city of Kazan, where the BRICS Summit is kicking off later today.
Modi called BRICS an important platform for dialogue and discussion on issues ranging from the global developmental agenda and reformed multilateralism to economic cooperation and promoting “people to people” connection.
READ MORE: Here’s why Russia’s BRICS presidency is at a critical crossroads
