BRICS 2024 Summit to Open in Russia Today

(CLO) The annual BRICS Summit will open today (October 22) in Kazan, the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia. The event, which will take place over two days, is attracting worldwide attention and expectation.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's aide Yuri Ushakov has hailed the conference as "the largest foreign policy event ever held" in Russia, while independent analysts have stressed the event's importance in reshaping the current global order.

Founded in 2009 by Brazil, Russia, India and China, the bloc was expanded a year later with the addition of South Africa. The alliance was further expanded to BRICS+ last year with Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) joining as permanent members.

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks at the BRICS Business Forum in Moscow, Russia on October 18, 2024. Photo: TASS

BRICS+ in its current form accounts for more than 37% of the world's GDP - more than twice that of the European Union - as well as more than 41% of the world's population. Twenty-four heads of state are expected to attend the important event, according to Ushakov.

In addition to the heads of state of BRICS+ member states, the Summit will be attended by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the only leader of a NATO country to attend.

Putin and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will discuss the Middle East crisis and the situation around Ukraine when they meet on the sidelines of the conference in the city of Kazan on October 24, the Kremlin said.

Turkey formally applied to join BRICS last month, according to people familiar with the matter, who were not authorized to speak publicly. For Ankara, joining the alliance means keeping up with the shift in geopolitical gravity toward the global south, but it is also a natural step toward a long-term balance between the West and Russia.

Several former Soviet states, including Azerbaijan and Belarus, have also applied to join BRICS. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, who is also treading carefully between Russia and the West in foreign policy, said he would make a last-minute decision on whether to join the summit on Monday.

"BRICS does not position itself in opposition to anyone," Putin told reporters, adding, "This is an association of countries working together based on common values, a common vision of development and, most importantly, the principle of considering each other's interests."

On the eve of the BRICS Summit, Mr Putin met with the President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan for informal talks that lasted until midnight at the Novo-Ogaryovo residence on the outskirts of Moscow.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend, although Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has canceled his trip after suffering a head injury in an accident at his home.

According to data from the International Monetary Fund, the BRICS' share of global GDP is expected to rise to 37% by the end of the decade while the Western G7's share will fall from 30% to around 28% this year.

Russia is trying to convince the BRICS countries to build an international payment platform to replace the US dollar, thereby helping the countries not be affected by Western sanctions.

Hoang Anh (according to TASS, Reuters)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/hoi-nghi-thuong-dinh-brics-2024-khai-mai-tai-nga-vao-hom-nay-post317820.html