Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived in Johannesburg on Tuesday to take part in the BRICS summit, a Sputnik corespondent reported.
The summit will take place from Tuesday to Thursday. Lavrov will act as the head of the Russian delegation, while the country’s president, Vladimir Putin, will participate in the gathering via video link.
“Mr Sergey Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Head of Delegation for the Russian Federation is received by International Relations and Cooperation Deputy Minister, Mr Alvin Botes as he arrives at the Waterkloof Airforce Base,” the South African government said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
South Africa, the bloc’s 2023 chair, invited delegations from dozens of other countries and international organizations, including UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and African Union chief Moussa Faki Mahamat.
For the moment, the block is formed by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The summit’s key focus is expected to be BRICS’ possible expansion. According to South African Sherpa Anil Sooklal, 23 countries have expressed interest in obtaining membership. Other discussion topics on the agenda include economic relations, trade infrastructure and the potential switch to a common currency to reduce member states’ reliance on the US dollar.
Source: Sputnik
