UNITED NATIONS, October 22. /TASS/. The United Nations has pointed to the importance of Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ participation in the BRICS Summit in Kazan and stressed the role of this association.

Deputy Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General Farhan Haq noted that BRICS countries are "representing about half the world's population" and the BRICS Summit has "great importance for the work of the United Nations."

According to Haq, this is "a standard practice" with the UN chief to attend summits of such large organizations, as the Group of Seven and the Group of Twenty.

This statement came in response to comment on the Ukrainian foreign ministry’s resentment that the UN chief had refused to take part in the so-called peace conference on Ukraine in Switzerland in mid-June but accepted Russia’s invitation to attend the BRICS Summit.

According to Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, Bern has demonstrated its inability to act as a honest mediator in conflict settlement.

The 16th BRICS Summit, which is the key event of Russia’s chairmanship in the association, is being held in Kazan on October 22-24. The BRICS group was founded in 2006 by Brazil, Russia, India, and China, with South Africa joining it in 2011. On January 1, 2024, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, 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.