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. The international forum has been convened to ofrer 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.
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 on Tuesday before the summit officially begins with a state dinner to be held later in the day.
22 October 2024
Kim Dotcom, the founder of the Megaupload file sharing service, has predicted that “the future of the world will be decided” at the BRICS Summit in Russia.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has arrived in Kazan to take part in the BRICS Summit.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will officially open the BRICS Summit in Kazan with an informal lunch at the Kazan City Hall, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. He noted that the head of state had already arrived in Kazan.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has arrived in Kazan for the 16th BRICS Summit. Xi is expected to have bilateral talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Cooperation within BRICS is not directed against anyone or anything – neither against the dollar nor against other currencies. Its major goal is to accommodate the interests of countries that participate in this format,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told RIA Novosti on Tuesday.
Peskov was commenting on a report by The Economist, which claimed that BRICS Summit attendees intend to discuss “Putin’s plan to defeat the dollar.”
“Kazan is 100% ready to host the BRICS Summit,” the city’s mayor, Ilsur Metshin, has told RIA Novosti. He noted that authorities in Kazan have set up unprecedented security measures for the duration of the event.
“There has never been a larger-scale event in the history of BRICS... Among the participants are not only BRICS members, but also representatives of other states for whom the idea of a fair multipolar world order and relations built on sincere mutual respect, without dictatorship or blackmail, are important.”
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has arrived in Kazan. He is expected to meet with Vladimir Putin later on Tuesday.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arrived in Kazan, Russia to attend the 16th annual BRICS Summit.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is en route to the BRICS Summit in Kazan, state news agency Xinhua reported on Tuesday morning. Xi is expected to hold a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the summit later this week.
“This year marks the beginning of greater BRICS cooperation,” Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian said at a press briefing on Monday.
“China stands ready to work with other parties to strive for the steady and sustained development of greater BRICS cooperation, open a new era for the Global South to seek strength through solidarity, and jointly promote world peace and development,” the spokesman added.
India “attaches immense importance to BRICS,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on X on Tuesday, prior to leaving for the group’s annual summit in Kazan, Russia.
Serbia, 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.
Ukraine has slammed UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for reportedly accepting an invitation to attend the BRICS Summit in Kazan, claiming that the move harms the body’s reputation.
Representatives of the Indian diaspora in Russia have gathered at the Korston Club Hotel in Kazan to greet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is arriving later today to attend the BRICS Summit.
“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, has told Chinese broadcaster 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.”
“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.
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’.
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.
Brazilian media reports have claimed 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.
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.”
“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.
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The conflict in Ukraine is not on the agenda for the BRICS summit, but participants are free to “discuss the topic as they see fit,” Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Izvestia newspaper.
At least 32 countries will be officially represented at this year’s BRICS Summit, most of them by their heads of state. Six international organizations will also send representatives, and this year’s summit may mark the first attended by a UN secretary-general.
Overall, around 20,000 guests are expected to take part in various BRICS events in the coming days, with nearly 2,000 journalists accredited to cover the summit, according to Rossiyskaya Gazeta.
Russia assumed the one-year rotating presidency of BRICS in 2024 under the motto ‘Strengthening Multilateralism for Equitable Global Development and Security’. President Putin has declared that under Moscow’s chairmanship, the group will focus on positive and constructive cooperation.
“Our priorities include promoting cooperation in science, high technology, healthcare, environmental protection, culture, sports, youth exchanges, and civil society,” he said, outlining the bloc’s objectives for the year.
BRICS was originally founded in 2006 by Brazil, Russia, India, and China, with South Africa joining in 2011. Ethiopia, Egypt, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates joined in January 2024. Saudi Arabia has yet to ratify its membership invitation.