MOSCOW, October 3. /TASS/. The BRICS summit that is scheduled to be held in the Russian city of Kazan in October will become a major international event and help strengthen the group, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said.

"We are reaching the finish line in the runup to the Kazan summit with the conviction that it will be a major event of international importance and, of course, a very serious step forward in terms of strengthening BRICS itself and enhancing its contribution to international affairs," he said at a news conference dedicated to preparations for the summit.

"What we are preparing and have already prepared at the current stage inspires optimism. It will probably never be possible to complete all the tasks in full, but the overall balance brings us much closer to saying that the year of Russia's presidency in BRICS was successful," the diplomat said.

Russia took over BRICS presidency on January 1, 2024. It will last until the end of the year and includes more than 200 events on a wide range of issues. The main highlight of the Russian presidency will be the BRICS summit to be held in the Russian city of Kazan from October 22-24.