Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced on Monday that Russia expects Chinese President Xi Jinping to attend the BRICS summit in Russia later this year. The summit, which will take place in Kazan in October, will include Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Ethiopia, Iran, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates.
According to Lavrov, the main event in bilateral relations this year will be Russian President Vladimir Putin’s state visit to China, followed by Xi Jinping’s anticipated attendance at the BRICS summit in Kazan in October. Earlier this month, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed bilateral meeting plans between the leaders of Russia and China but emphasized that specific dates were premature.
Russia, currently chairing BRICS, intends for the summit to concentrate on fostering partnerships in politics, security, economics, finance, culture, and humanitarian endeavors. Over the past two years, there has been a surge in interest from various nations to join the group of non-Western economies, with several submitting formal applications. Mzuvukile Jeff Maqetuka, South Africa’s ambassador to Russia, informed TASS news agency in February that 25 countries are anticipated to seek membership during the Kazan summit.
