The BRICS leaders are set to hold the main sessions of the summit in Kazan today and will adopt a final declaration. Discussions among the heads of delegations began informally the previous day with a dinner and several bilateral meetings.
This BRICS summit is the first to be held in the expanded "group of ten" format. Along with the BRICS nations, many other leaders from the Global South and East, as well as heads of international organizations, including UN Secretary-General António Guterres, have gathered in Kazan.
The day’s events will begin with a traditional group photo of the leaders, followed by a closed-door session of BRICS heads of state, which will be opened by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Afterward, there will be a larger session involving the full delegations.
National Currencies and New Partnerships
According to the Kremlin, the leaders will address pressing global and regional issues, focusing on political, economic, and cultural cooperation within the BRICS strategic partnership. A particular emphasis will be placed on expanding the use of national currencies for transactions and creating a category for BRICS partner states. This alternative to further expansion comes after the bloc recently grew from five to ten members. The possibility of granting around 15 nations partner status is under discussion, with approximately 30 countries expressing interest in cooperating with BRICS in some form, according to Putin.
During the expanded session, leaders will hear reports on the 2024 activities of key BRICS mechanisms, including the Business Council, the Interbank Cooperation Mechanism, and the Women's Business Alliance. Additionally, the president of the New Development Bank, Dilma Rousseff, will report on the bank's progress.
The Kazan Declaration
The summit’s outcomes, as well as the results of Russia’s BRICS chairmanship, will be formalized in the Kazan Declaration. This document will outline the consolidated positions of the BRICS nations on further development and address pressing international issues, including, notably, the situation in Ukraine. According to presidential aide Yuri Ushakov, a formulation on this topic has been agreed upon that is acceptable to all parties.
Summit Continuation
A formal reception hosted by President Putin in honor of the delegation heads is planned for the evening. On Thursday, the summit will continue in the BRICS+ outreach format, involving nearly 40 leaders from the Global South and heads of multilateral organizations. These discussions will focus on international issues, with special attention to the situation in the Middle East.
Additionally, Putin’s series of bilateral meetings, which began on Tuesday with leaders from South Africa, India, China, Egypt, and the head of the New Development Bank, will continue. On Wednesday, Putin is scheduled to meet with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
About BRICS
BRICS was formed in 2006 by Brazil, Russia, India, and China, with South Africa joining in 2011. On January 1, 2024, Egypt, Iran, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Ethiopia became full members of the group.
The BRICS summit in Kazan has become one of the largest gatherings of world leaders in Russia in recent years, comparable to the G20 summit in St. Petersburg in 2013 and the Russia-Africa summits in Sochi in 2019 and 2023.
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Photo: brics-russia2020.ru/Creative Commons 4.0
Based on materials from TASS