MOSCOW, June 15. /TASS/. Russia’s Security Council Secretary Nikolay Patrushev will participate via a video linkup in an annual meeting of high-ranking security officials from the BRICS group of nations.

"Representatives of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and the South African Republic are planning to discuss current national and international security threats of the present time, and areas of cooperation between the group’s members," the council’s press service has reported.

Patrushev regularly holds security-themed talks with his foreign colleagues, both in person and in the video conference format.

It will be the 12th meeting of high-ranking BRICS officials in charge of security issues. The previous event of this kind, which took place last August, was also held via a video linkup. Participants discussed challenges and threats to global, regional and national security. Issues of counter-terrorism and digital security were addressed in detail.

The acronym BRICS, derived from the initial letters of the names of the group’s members, was created in December 2010, when South Africa joined the organization that had earlier been known as BRIC. The goal of the group, established at Russia’s initiative in 2006, is to boost comprehensive cooperation between member states. China is holding the BRICS presidency in 2022.