ST. PETERSBURG, April 24. /TASS/. President of Brazil Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will take part in the upcoming BRICS summit in Kazan, Brazilian Ambassador to Russia Rodrigo Baena Soares told TASS.

"Yes, he will visit [the summit] in Kazan in October," the diplomat said, answering a question on the sidelines of the 12th international high-ranking security officials meeting.

Currently, BRICS includes 10 states. In 2011, South Africa joined the original four members: Brazil, Russia, India and China. In August, 2023, the association invited six new member states, including Argentine, but the latter rejected the invitation. Five new member states - Egypt, Iran, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Ethiopia started their full-fledged operation within BRICS on January 1, 2024. The association is not a military-political bloc and is not aimed against third countries.