MOSCOW, October 22. /TASS/. The BRICS Summit in Kazan, which is now starting, will be among the largest in Russian history both in terms of the number of participants and its significance, according to Andrey Bystritsky, chairman of the board at the Foundation for Development and Support of the Valdai International Discussion Club told TASS.
The expert emphasized that for the first time, the summit is being held in the "ten" format, including the five new members that joined last year. Besides the ten countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Iran, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Ethiopia), representatives of other countries from the Global East and South interested in cooperation with the group will also be in Kazan. A total of 36 countries and 6 international organizations, as well as UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, are expected at the summit.
"This is a very large summit with a vast number of participants and very significant in its implications. It is the most significant in a way. Why should it be recognized as the most significant? It is due to the wide range of matters such as economic development, internal cooperation, and most importantly, the fundamental issues of world order that will be discussed. By that, we mean a system with equal members, where no one holds an advantage over the other," the analyst noted.
The analyst believes that rich discussions should be expected not only at the multilateral but also at the bilateral meetings of Russian President Vladimir Putin with the summit participants. Important topics for discussion include matters of economic development and security, energy and climate, and the humanitarian aspects of a whole series of geopolitical situations. "BRICS is a global organization both in terms of its scale and the number of countries, as well as its share of the world economy. Thus, almost all matters relevant for the international community are also related to the BRICS countries," he added.
Furthermore, Bystritsky pointed out that the development of mechanisms for mutual payments within BRICS, which is quite important, will also be discussed. "I expect no global breakthroughs, but this new field of mutual relations will be tackled at the BRICS Summit. There is no doubt about it. Slow and steady, as they say," the analyst concluded.
About the BRICS Summit
The 16th BRICS summit, the key event of Russia’s chairmanship in the association, will be held in Kazan on October 22-24. The BRICS group was founded in 2006 by Brazil, Russia, India, and China, with South Africa joining in 2011. On January 1 this year, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates became its full-fledged members. The Kazan summit will be the first to be attended by the new members of the association. Representatives of over 30 countries are expected to take part. Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President of Iran Masoud Pezeshkian, and President of the UAE Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan are among the foreign leaders who will come to Kazan.
The BRICS Summit in Kazan will be one of the most impressive in the country’s history. Among other large-scale meetings with foreign leaders held in Russia were the Group of Twenty (G20) Summit in 2013, as well as the Russia-Africa Summits in 2019 and 2023.