Around 20,000 delegates from over 30 countries are expected to attend the three-day international forum in Kazan
Preparations for the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan © Anatoly Medved / Photohost agency brics-russia2024.ru
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 scheduled to hold several high-level meetings on Tuesday, including talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.
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22 October 2024
16:56 GMT
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres will take part in the BRICS Summit in Kazan, his office has told journalists. “I can confirm that the Secretary General is once again attending the BRICS Summit,” his deputy spokesman, Farhan Haq, said. It was previously reported that Guterres had accepted the invitation despite protests from Kiev.
- 16:22 GMT
Presidential aide Yury Ushakov says the BRICS leaders have agreed upon a common position on the Ukraine conflict that will be added to the joint summit declaration. He did not reveal the details of what he called the leaders’ “common approach” to the issue.
- 16:21 GMT
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping have discussed the Ukraine conflict and global issues at a meeting on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has told journalists. The spokesman described the talks as “very open” and “constructive.”
- 15:51 GMT
A total of 13 nations are seeking the status of “partner state” with BRICS, Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov has told the Russian media. The official did not name the countries but said that “consultations” are being held between delegations of the member states on the issue and that the matter will be reviewed by the BRICS leaders.
President Vladimir Putin earlier stated that some 30 nations had shown interest in cooperating with the group in various formats.
- 15:18 GMT
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has arrived at the BRICS Summit in Kazan.
- 15:00 GMT
Over the past decade, Chinese-Russian relations have come a long way and reached an unprecedented level, Chinese leader Xi Jinping has said during talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Kazan. Relations between the two great powers greatly contribute to “defending international justice,” Xi stated.
- 14:53 GMT
BRICS is one of the most important platforms for the consolidation of the developing world, Chinese leader Xi Jinping has said during talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Kazan. The group plays a “systemic” role in creating an “equal” multipolar system and “universally accessible inclusive globalization,” he said.
- 14:16 GMT
Cooperation between Russia and China is one of the “stabilizing factors on the world arena,” Russian President Vladimir Putin has said during a meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Kazan. Over the past 75 years, relations between the two nations have reached the level of a “comprehensive” and “strategic” partnership, the Russian president added.
“This is a standard for how relations between two states should be built,” Putin said, calling ties between Russia and China “equal” and “mutually beneficial.”
- 13:55 GMT
The BRICS Summit shows that Vladimir Putin “is far from alone” given the number of heads of state and other high-ranking guests in attendance, CNN reported on Tuesday. According to the news outlet, the event is a “pointed signal” that “an emerging coalition of countries stands behind” Russia.
“The gathering of BRICS and other countries this week spotlights a growing convergence of nations who hope to see a shift in the global balance of power,” the report notes.
- 13:19 GMT
Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani has arrived at the BRICS Summit in Kazan.
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