Johannesburg. Russian President Vladimir Putin will not directly participate in the three-day summit of the group of emerging economies ‘BRICS’, which begins in South Africa on Tuesday. They will participate in this conference through video conference. The grouping of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa is holding its first meeting since the Covid-19 pandemic in the presence of its top leaders. However, Putin will attend via video conference as his trip to South Africa could cause problems after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for him in March over the abduction of children from Ukraine.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, Brazilian President Lula da Silva, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will be present in this meeting. 40 percent of the world’s population lives in the BRICS countries, and the group’s member states account for 30 percent of global economic output. The group is looking to expand itself. That will top the agenda for Wednesday’s key summit in Johannesburg’s financial district of Sandton. According to South African officials, more than 20 countries have applied to join the group, including Saudi Arabia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates.
The BRICS summit began on Tuesday before the eyes of the world
The five BRICS member states must agree on qualifications for new members before admitting any other country to the group, but the larger BRICS is expected to be supported by policy from both China and Russia amid deteriorating relations with the West. is commonly seen. South African Trade and Industry Minister Ibrahim Patel officially opened the summit on Tuesday, welcoming 1,200 delegates not only from the five BRICS countries, but also from dozens of other developing countries.
A spokesman for Putin has claimed that he will participate fully and will also give a speech
According to Ramaphosa, more than 40 heads of state are expected to attend the three-day meeting. Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Russian Presidential Office Kremlin, has insisted that Putin will participate fully and even deliver a speech, despite attending via video conference. Russia will be represented by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who will attend the meeting. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is also expected to attend the summit. The summit officially began with a business forum meeting on Tuesday morning and leaders Xi, Lula, Modi and Ramaphosa are expected to arrive at the Sandton Convention Center in the afternoon for the first meeting.
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Tags: BRICS Summit, Russia Ukraine war, Vladimir Putin
First published: August 22, 2023, 19:30 IST