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Loose ends must be tied up ahead of BRICS summit in South Africa — Kremlin

Yury Ushakov noted that active preparations for the summit had already begun

MOSCOW, June 14. /TASS/. A slew of organizational matters are still up in the air ahead of the summit of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa), including whether South Africa will execute the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin, Yury Ushakov, an aide to the Russian president, told reporters on Wednesday.

"As far as the BRICS summit is concerned, this is the South-African Republic, the city of Johannesburg, it is scheduled for the end of August, though many issues related to the practical organization of this summit have not been resolved yet," he said. "It is safe to say that the issue remains open on how the South-African side intends to enforce the illegal decision by the International Criminal Court," Ushakov added.

Meanwhile, he noted that active preparations for the summit had already begun, adding that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held talks with South Africa’s representatives and BRICS colleagues during a recent trip to Africa. Documents are being prepared, with all BRICS issues being actively discussed," the presidential aide stressed.

Ushakov explained that the active discussion of the documents that are being prepared is connected with how "BRICS will function in the future, "noting that it is a major international integration now as well." "A lot of countries, both large and small, are interested in joining the BRICS format. Some openly claim their participation as full-fledged members, asking that they be admitted immediately, while others are interested in maintaining possible cooperation, in being partners in the dialogue with the organization, with many various formats existing," he explained.

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Foreign policy BRICS

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