Russia has extended invitations to 36 foreign leaders for the upcoming BRICS summit in Kazan, scheduled for October 22-24. Eighteen leaders have already confirmed their participation, according to Yury Ushakov, Presidential Aide for International Affairs.
“We conducted an inspection trip to Kazan and are generally satisfied with the progress of the preparations. The scale of this event is unprecedented; we haven’t hosted such a large international gathering in quite some time. A total of 36 leaders from various countries have been invited,” Ushakov told reporters. “Of those invited, 18 leaders have already confirmed their attendance,” he added.
In addition to the nine BRICS member countries, Russia has invited leaders from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), as well as heads of states that chair influential regional integration associations in Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. Also invited are leaders from countries seeking membership or cooperation with BRICS.
Ushakov emphasized that this year marks a significant milestone for Russia's presidency of the BRICS. “For the first time, we are chairing an expanded BRICS, which now includes nine countries instead of five. One of our main tasks is to develop a new format for BRICS partner states,” he explained. “We still have about two months left, and we are planning another meeting of the organizing committee. Naturally, we will return to Kazan, and I am confident that we will be 100% ready to host such a large-scale event,” he expressed.
The presidential aide, who also serves as the Chairman of the BRICS Summit Organizing Committee, mentioned that a regular meeting was held on August 21. “We reviewed the results of the past six months of our presidency and found that most of the planned activities have been successfully completed. Over 60% of our action plan has been realized, with around 140 events held in 13 cities across Russia and abroad,” Ushakov detailed.
He highlighted several key events, including the BRICS Parliamentary Forum, the BRICS Inter-Party Forum, and meetings of ministers of education, sports, transportation, as well as heads of prosecutor's offices and supreme courts. He also noted the significance of the BRICS Foreign Ministers' Meeting, which included an extended session with the participation of Global South and East states, held in Nizhny Novgorod on June 10-11.
“We consider the launch of new interaction formats a significant achievement of our presidency. For instance, the first meetings of transport ministers, heads of geological services, and the inaugural BRICS forum on nuclear medicine were conducted. Additionally, the cultural and humanitarian aspects of cooperation are actively being developed,” Ushakov concluded.
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Based on TASS materials