Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit Russia from October 22-23 at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Friday. During this visit, the Prime Minister is expected to engage in bilateral meetings with his counterparts from BRICS member countries and other invited leaders.
The theme for this year’s summit is “Strengthening Multilateralism for Just Global Development and Security,” which will provide a crucial platform for leaders to discuss significant global issues. The MEA highlighted that the summit would offer a valuable opportunity to assess the progress of initiatives launched by BRICS and to identify potential areas for future collaboration.
“This Summit will offer a valuable opportunity to assess the progress of initiatives launched by BRICS and to identify potential areas for future collaboration,” the MEA stated.
This marks Modi’s second visit to Russia this year, following an earlier trip to Moscow in July. The upcoming summit is particularly notable as it will be the first since the expansion of the group to nine members, with Egypt, Iran, Ethiopia, and the UAE joining this year after being offered membership during the 2023 summit in South Africa. Argentina and Saudi Arabia were also invited, although Argentina declined after a change in government, and Saudi Arabia is yet to respond.
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BRICS Summit In Kazan
According to Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov, the BRICS summit in Kazan will host leaders from 24 countries, with delegations from a total of 32 nations, making it the largest foreign policy event ever held in Russia, news agency IANS reported. In addition to the main BRICS meeting, discussions will occur in the BRICS+ format on the theme “BRICS and the Global South: Building the Future of the World Together,” involving representatives from Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America.
All top leaders from member countries, including seven Presidents and two Prime Ministers, are expected to attend, along with UN Secretary-General António Guterres and leaders of various aspiring countries, including Presidents Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey, Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus, and Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan.
The BRICS grouping represents 41 per cent of the world’s population, 24 per cent of global GDP, and over 16 per cent of world trade. Originally formed as BRIC, the group was renamed BRICS in 2010 following South Africa’s inclusion as a full member at the BRIC Foreign Ministers’ meeting in New York. It has since expanded to include Middle Eastern countries, including Iran.