Johannesburg [South Africa], August 20 : As South Africa is almost set to host the 15th BRICS Summit convening here in Johannesburg from Tuesday, delegations from over 45 countries are expected to participate in the historic event along with five member nations, Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
Speaking to ANI, India's BRICS Sherpa Dammu Ravi, a 1989-batch Indian Foreign Service officer, said that nearly 74 delegations from various countries are invited for the summit and over 40 to 45 delegations are expected to attend the event aimed to review the progress of the initiatives launched by the grouping and identify future areas of activity.
Delegations from various African countries, Latin America and Indonesia are expected to join the event between August 22-24.
Posters and banners can be seen all across the streets and major roads in the Sandton City of Johannesburg as the first in-person three-day Brics Summit since Covid is being organised here.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on July 19 confirmed South Africa’s readiness to host the Summit of BRICS nations. It will be the first BRICS Summit to be hosted in person since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent global restrictions.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will join the leaders of Brazil, China and South Africa for the 15th Brics Summit. Russian President Vladimir Putin will join the meeting virtually while the Russian delegation will be led by foreign minister Sergey Lavrov.
Modi will also participate in a special event with the theme “BRICS– Africa outreach and BRICS plus dialogue”. This is being organised after the BRICS Summit and will include dozens of countries, mostly from the African continent, invited by South Africa.
In due course, a comprehensive statement on the substantive issues to be covered at the Summit and other related foreign policy matters will be issued.
South African President Ramaphosa is confident that the Summit will be a success and calls on the nation to extend the necessary hospitality to the many delegates who will arrive from various parts of the continent and the globe.
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