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Belarusian foreign minister arrives in South Africa to take part in BRICS events

The leaders of the five member sates are expected to discuss the expansion of the organization, with more than 20 countries, including Belarus

MINSK, August 22. /TASS/. The Belarusian delegation led by Foreign Minister Sergey Aleinik has arrived in South Africa to take part in the events of the 15th BRICS summit, the Belarusian Foreign Ministry told TASS.

"The Belarusian delegation, led by Foreign Minister Sergey Aleinik, is right now arriving in South Africa to participate in the events of the 15th BRICS summit," the Foreign Ministry said.

According to the Flightradar service, the minister’s plane landed at the Johannesburg airport at 5:45 pm Moscow time.

BRICS, a group that brings together Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, is holding a summit in Johannesburg from August 22-24 under the chairmanship of South Africa. The leaders of the five countries are expected to discuss the expansion of the organization, with more than 20 countries, including Belarus, having already applied for membership. Aleinik said in late January that Moscow expressed readiness to support Minsk if it wanted to join BRICS.

The Belarusian Foreign Ministry earlier said that the country would for the first time take part in such summit events as the BRICS-Africa Outreach and BRICS Plus Dialogue in Johannesburg.

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