Representatives of 32 countries will come to the BRICS summit, 24 delegations will be headed by the leaders of states. Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov said this at a briefing on the upcoming event in Kazan on 10 October, adding that the numbers could increase. “[The Kazan summit] may turn into the largest foreign policy event ever held in our country”

Yury Ushakov
Russian presidential aide

Ushakov also noted that nine BRICS leaders will attend the summit. From Saudi Arabia, Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud will take part in the summit. In addition, the Russian presidential aide said that the plan for the summit has already been worked out and approved. It will consist of two main parts: meetings of the BRICS member countries under the motto “Strengthening Multilateralism for Equitable Global Development and Security” and meetings in the BRICS+ format on the theme “BRICS and the Global South: Building the Future of the World Together”.

Ushakov voiced Russia’s official position on the possible expansion of the group: to include states interested in this in the category of “partner country”. “Russia has its own priorities on who could be invited as partner states. We believe that it is quite logical to consider applications from CIS countries – those that are interested in cooperation with BRICS,” he said, adding that the Russian Federation also sees the Republic of Indonesia in this status.

During the briefing, Yury Ushakov emphasised that participation in the group is one of Russia’s top foreign policy priorities and voiced data: in 2024 (the period of Russia’s BRICS chairmanship), more than 200 events have already been held, including more than 20 at the ministerial level. “Russia has the honour of taking up ‘residence’ in the association of new members. There is some symbolism here, as it was Russia that stood at the origins of BRICS,” he noted.

The BRICS summit will be held in Kazan on 22-24 October and will be the key event of Russia’s presidency in the association in 2024. In addition to the leaders of the group’s countries, representatives of Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America have been invited to the meeting. They will take part in the summit in the BRICS+ format. Currently, there are 10 states in the association: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia and the UAE. In September, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that 34 states have already announced their desire to join the BRICS group.

Photo: IStock / kremlin.ru