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South African president sees BRICS expansion as 'beacon of hope' for Global South

According to Cyril Ramaphosa, "over the years, BRICS has emerged as an important voice of the Global South"

KAZAN, October 23. /TASS/. The BRICS group’s expansion is "a beacon of hope" for the Global South, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said at the plenary session of the BRICS Summit in Russia’s Kazan.

"Fifteen years ago, South Africa attended its first BRICS Summit in Sanya, China. Today, we gather as a group of nine leading emerging countries. Our historic expansion is a beacon of hope for the Global South," Ramaphosa said, as cited by his press service.

According to the South African president, "over the years, BRICS has emerged as an important voice of the Global South." "The expansion of BRICS is evidence of the growing value of our cooperation. By working together, we can pave the way for a brighter future for all our peoples - and for the global community of nations," he emphasized.

The 16th BRICS Summit, which is the key event of Russia’s chairmanship in the association, is being held in the Russian city of 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 is the first to be attended by the new members of the association. The foreign leaders visiting Kazan for the BRICS Summit include Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.

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