Egypt Daily News – The 16th edition of the “BRICS” summit begins today in Kazan, Russia, with the participation of around 40 countries, and the main theme of the summit is “Enhancing Multilateralism for Fair Global Development and Security.”
This summit is the first after the accession of 5 new countries to the BRICS group in 2024, and the summit will last for 3 days until next Thursday (October 24, 2024).
It is scheduled that 38 countries will participate in the summit, with 24 countries represented by their leaders, while 8 countries will be represented by high-level officials. Additionally, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, is also scheduled to participate in the summit.
Russia is chairing the BRICS group this year, and during this period, Moscow has identified three priorities: politics and security, cooperation in economics and finance, and humanitarian and cultural exchanges.
It has also organized more than 200 political, economic, and social events to enhance the implementation of further cooperation among BRICS countries.
Regarding the main topics of the BRICS summit, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said that the Kazan summit will discuss ways to enhance global multipolarity, integrate new members, and resolve regional conflicts.
One of the topics that the summit will discuss is the creation of a digital payment platform for the BRICS group known as “BRICS Bridge.”
The summit is also expected to consider the issue of accepting new members into the group, as more than 34 countries are either seeking to join BRICS or cooperate in some forms.
During the summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold bilateral meetings with most of the participating leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, and Iranian President Masoud Bezhashkian, where the comprehensive strategic partnership between Moscow and Tehran is scheduled to be discussed.
On the third and final day of the summit, the Kazan Declaration is scheduled to be adopted, which is a comprehensive document summarizing the forum’s achievements, as well as the overall accomplishments of the Russian presidency.
“BRICS” is an international group established in 2006, initially comprising Russia, Brazil, India, and China, with South Africa joining the group in 2011.
With the beginning of the year 2024, 5 new countries joined the group: Egypt, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Ethiopia
