The foreign ministers of the BRICS countries will convene in Nizhny Novgorod in June, as announced by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister and Russia's BRICS Sherpa Sergei Ryabkov during a meeting of the BRICS Sherpa and Sous-Sherpa group within the framework of the Russian presidency.
"The [BRICS] foreign ministers' meeting will take place in June 2024 in Nizhny Novgorod," the deputy minister stated.
Ryabkov reiterated that more than 200 events across dozens of Russian cities are scheduled within the framework of the Russian presidency in the association in 2024. "The primary event in the BRICS calendar is the 16th BRICS summit, which will be held in October 2024 in Kazan," - the senior diplomat added. - "Both Kazan and Nizhny Novgorod are beautiful cities in Russia, providing participants from all BRICS countries with positive and memorable experiences of our country in all its diversity."
He also highlighted that the development of economic ties within BRICS, including mitigating the adverse effects of the dollar economy, will be a key focus during the Russian presidency of the association. "Another priority of the Russian presidency, which will yield favorable long-term results for trade and investment exchanges within BRICS, will be the financial and economic aspect of our cooperation," - Ryabkov pointed out. - "In line with the decision of the BRICS leaders in Johannesburg, we aim to increase the use of national currencies, local currencies, and payment instruments in our cross-border transactions to lessen the detrimental impacts of the current dollar-dominated global economic system and strengthen the role of the developing world in international finance."
Ryabkov emphasized that this work should receive strong political support and be given priority attention.
The BRICS group has expanded twice since its inception in 2006. In 2011, South Africa joined the original membership, which included Brazil, Russia, India, and China. In August 2023, six new members, including Argentina, were invited to join the association simultaneously, but the country declined to join in late December last year. Five new participants - Egypt, Iran, United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates - began full-fledged work in BRICS on January 1, 2024.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: brics-russia2020.ru/Creative Commons 4.0
Based on materials from TASS