The 16th BRICS summit was held on October 22-24 in the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan, the city of Kazan. This is the main event within the framework of the Russian chairmanship in the intergovernmental organization and one of the key political events of this year. Since January 2024, BRICS members have become: Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates. The founders of the organization are Brazil, India, China, the Republic of South Africa and the Russian Federation. Nevertheless, delegations from three dozen countries came to the summit.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, presumably, arrived in Kazan on the evening of October 21, after official meetings in Moscow with the President of the United Arab Emirates Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. However, already in the afternoon, from the Kazan airport began to arrive reports, where an honor guard and girls in national costumes greeted high-ranking guests, including the head of the New Development Bank (NDB) Dilma Rousseff, President of the Republic of Srpska of Bosnia and Herzegovina Milorad Dodik, Vice President of Venezuela Delcy Rodrigues, First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka Aruni Wijewardane. The day before it became known that the President of Brazil Lula da Silva will not be able to fly to Kazan; for this reason, the delegation of one of the founding countries of BRICS was headed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Brazil Mauro Vieira.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed arrived to participate in the BRICS summit on the first day of the summit, October 22. At the international airport, he and other high-ranking guests were met by the Rais of Tatarstan and the Chairman of the Group of Strategic Vision “Russia – Islamic World” Rustam Minnikhanov and the Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin. Soon landed the planes of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Khalil el-Sisi.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin opened the summit program with a business conversation with President of NDB Dilma Rousseff. In the afternoon, Putin met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi : India has deep historical ties with the capital of Tatarstan, and after the opening of the country's consulate in Kazan, relations will strengthen even more, the prime minister emphasized.
Next, the head of the Russian Federation met with the President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa. The guest emphasized that countries in the world arena advocate for the formation of a fair world order. The Rais of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov also took part in the meeting between President Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Relations between Russia and China are an example of how relations between countries should be built, Putin noted. Xi, in turn, said that China highly appreciates the work of the Russian Federation within the framework of its chairmanship in BRICS.
Between Vladimir Putin and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi was held talks at the BRICS summit, which were also attended by Rustam Minnikhanov. Putin stressed the importance of developing cooperation with Egypt, noting that the country accounts for a third of Russia's trade with Africa. Joint projects were discussed, including the construction of the El Dabaa nuclear power plant and the establishment of a Russian industrial zone in the Suez Canal. A free trade agreement between Egypt and the Eurasian Economic Union is also being prepared. El-Sisi noted the dynamic development of relations and Russia's support for Egypt's accession to BRICS, calling Putin a friend.
Meanwhile, high-ranking guests continued to arrive at the Kazan airport: Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia Aleksandar Vulin, President of Mauritania Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith, President of the Republic of the Congo Denis Sassou Nguesso, President of Palestine Mahmoud Abbas, and Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono. The guests were met in a ceremonial atmosphere by Chairman of the State Council of the Republic of Tatarstan Farid Mukhametshin.
Another important guest was Iran's new president, Masoud Pezeshkian. Before flying to Kazan, the leader of the Iranian state said that cooperation between the BRICS countries would lead to the end of the unipolar world and the era of US totalitarianism. President of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro announced upon arrival at the Kazan airport that his visit to the BRICS summit was historic. On the first day of the summit, was confirmed the participation of the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
The events of the first day of the BRICS summit ended in the Kazan City Hall, where President Putin held a ceremonial reception for high-ranking guests. Among them was the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud. An informal friendly dinner with the leaders of the countries was held in the City Hall, where a number of topics related directly to the summit were touched upon. It is important to note that the Russian leader managed to hold a one-on-one conversation with each of the leaders.
On the second day of the summit, October 23, BRICS leaders discussed the creation of a new financial system and the expansion of the association in a narrow format meeting. Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed the creation of an investment platform and a grain exchange, noting the interest of more than 30 countries in cooperation with BRICS. Chinese leader Xi Jinping pointed out the obsolescence of the global governance system. State leaders emphasized the importance of food and energy security, cybersecurity and the need to reform the UN Security Council.
Following the summit, was adopted the Kazan Declaration, consisting of 134 points, which agreed on the further expansion of BRICS through a special “filter” with undeclared criteria and a list of 13 applicants for accession.
The resolution document emphasizes the importance of strengthening solidarity and cooperation in three key areas: politics and security, economics and finance, and cultural and humanitarian ties. The economic section emphasizes the need to reform the Bretton Woods institutions, the potential of information and communication technologies, and the role of women in socio-economic development.
Political leaders expressed concern about the negative impact of sanctions on the global economy, highlighting the deepening poverty, environmental crises and the undermining of the UN Charter through trade bans. The need to reform the UN, including the Security Council, to increase the representativeness of developing countries was also raised. Acute regional conflicts, including the situation in Ukraine and the Middle East, were discussed with an emphasis on peaceful resolution.
The resolution of the 16th BRICS summit notes support for the recognition of Palestine within the 1967 borders and expresses concern about the humanitarian crisis in the territories occupied by the Israeli army. Ukraine is mentioned with cautious wording about compliance with the UN Charter. Successes in joint projects in biomedicine, green energy and space are also discussed. African problems are considered based on the principle of "African solutions to African problems".
Meanwhile, the planes of the top officials of the states interested in cooperation with BRICS continued to land at Tukay Airport. Prime Minister of Vietnam Pham Minh Chinh and President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev arrived in Kazan within minutes of each other. President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov could fully appreciate the warm welcome of Rustam Minnikhanov. Also in Kazan arrived the President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Foreign Minister of Bahrain Abdullatif bin Rashid Alzayani and the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
Rais of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov held a meeting with the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev. The heads of state had previously exchanged visits on several occasions, and Minnikhanov noted that he fondly recalled his trips to Baku. Rais of RT emphasized that relations between the republics continue to develop successfully. At the end of the meeting, Minnikhanov presented Aliyev with the "Duslyk" order.
Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. President Putin noted that Russia actively supported Iran's application and had previously facilitated its accession to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. He added that this opens up additional opportunities for joint work in the international arena. On the same day, the Russian leader held bilateral meetings with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Rustam Minnikhanov was also present at the negotiations.
The final event of the summit was the Outreach/BRICS Plus meeting, which took place on October 24. Almost 40 countries took part in it, including representatives of the CIS, Asia, Africa and Latin America. Despite the last day of the summit, high-ranking guests continued to arrive in Kazan. Thus, President of Bolivia Luis Arce was met by the Chairman of the State Council of Tatarstan, Farid Mukhametshin.
During the Outreach/BRICS Plus meeting, Russian President Vladimir Putin called for a discussion of a new BRICS investment platform. The Russian leader also called for reforming international financial structures and creating alternative financial mechanisms.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres stressed the importance of international cooperation to solve global problems and acknowledged that developing countries are not involved in global decision-making. He also called the international financing system outdated and unfair, noting the need for every country to have access to modern technology and reform of the UN Security Council.
Putin, in response to Guterres's words, noted the desire of the BRICS countries to create a favorable atmosphere for cooperation despite disagreements. He emphasized the new democratic world order based on respect for the sovereign rights of countries and pointed to attempts to contain developing countries with sanctions. The meeting lasted almost three and a half hours, during which participants discussed not only reforming the global financial system and the UN, but also the need for peace in regions such as Gaza, Lebanon, Ukraine and Sudan.
President Putin also spoke out against terrorism in the Middle East and stressed that a settlement is only possible with the formation of an independent Palestine. The BRICS countries initiated the creation of a grain exchange to establish fair prices for grain and resolve issues of food security. Political leaders supported the initiative of a new BRICS investment platform to increase investment flows into developing economies.
Chinese President Xi Jinping noted that the Chinese-Brazilian initiative on Ukraine could become the basis for a peaceful settlement. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed stressed the importance of reforming multilateral institutions, while Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian criticized the effectiveness of the UN Security Council and the International Monetary Fund due to Western interference. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, in turn, called the summit in Kazan "very successful".
President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko expressed full support for the BRICS philosophy and the country's readiness to become an active participant in the association, emphasizing its potential in the international arena. The authorities of Laos also showed an active desire to join BRICS.
The summit featured interaction between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. The latter reported that the draft peace treaty with Baku had been almost fully agreed upon. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for a ban on arms supplies to Israel and expressed support for the Palestinian people. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas supported the proposal of his Turkish counterpart and expressed hope for Palestine's rapid accession to BRICS.
Nicolás Maduro, the President of Venezuela, has criticized the International Criminal Court for selectively targeting countries in the Global South, stressing the need for a fairer international justice system. President of Bolivia Luis Alberto Arce Catacora noted the importance of participation in BRICS for the restoration of countries' sovereignty.
On the final day of the summit, Vladimir Putin met with the presidents of Laos, Thongloun Sisoulith and Mauritania Mohamed Ould Ghazouani to discuss cooperation and joint investments.
It is important to note that the Russian leader also met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Russia sees that the situation in Palestine is not improving, but deteriorating, said President Putin. He noted that the tragic events in the Gaza Strip have led to the deaths of more than 40,000 people and provoked an escalation of the situation in Lebanon and the West Bank.
Vladimir Putin emphasized Russia's principled position: the country advocates for a speedy end to bloodshed and provision of humanitarian access to all those in need. He added that the work was carried out within the framework of the BRICS chairmanship and that the participating countries adhere to similar approaches. Abbas thanked Putin for his attention to the Palestinian issue at the Outreach/BRICS Plus meeting and expressed Palestine’s readiness to participate in BRICS in any convenient form of cooperation.
"The 16th BRICS summit has just successfully concluded. It became the culmination of Russia's presidency of the association and one of the notable events in the global political calendar", - President Vladimir Putin announced at a press conference following the summit.
The Russian President thanked the leadership of Tatarstan and the Kazan mayor's office for creating comfortable conditions, and apologized to the city's residents for the inconveniences caused by the BRICS summit. First of all, the Russian leader drew the attention of journalists to the fact that the new participants saw and understood that it is possible to work and achieve results in BRICS.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Maxim Bogodvid/Photohost-agency brics-russia2024.ru