Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Russia from 22 to October 23, at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin, to participate in the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan.
Russia is organizing the summit; I confirm that PM Modi will also hold bilateral meetings with his BRICS counterparts and invited leaders in Kazan.
The MEA said, “The Summit, themed ‘Strengthening Multilateralism for Just Global Development and Security,’ would present an important forum for leaders to discuss issues in the [globally] relevant sphere.:”
It said, “The Summit will offer a valuable opportunity to review the progress of initiatives launched by BRICS and identify potential areas for future collaboration.”
The leaders of BRIC nations—Brazil, Russia, India, and China—first met in St Petersburg, Russia, in 2006. However, it took a round of summits at the highest level for the first BRIC summit to finally take place in Yekaterinburg, Russia, in 2009.
After South Africa was admitted as a full member at the meeting of BRIC Foreign Ministers in New York in September 2010, the bloc was officially renamed BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa).
BRICS is a vital grouping that brings together the major emerging economies worldwide. It comprises 41 percent of the world’s population, 24 percent of the world’s GDP, and over 16 percent of the world’s trade.
Earlier in September, Russian President Vladimir Putin extended an invitation to PM Modi, proposing a bilateral meeting on October 22 on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Kazan. During the invitation, Putin referred to PM Modi as a “good friend.”
Putin commented while meeting his counterpart, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, on the sidelines of the BRICS National Security Advisers’ meeting at Russia’s St Petersberg Constantine Palace.
The Kremlin, quoting President Putin, said in a statement, “We will be expecting Mr Modi in Kazan.
I also suggest holding a bilateral meeting there on October 22 to close the books on our joint work in implementing the agreements reached during his visit to Moscow and outline some prospects for the near future.”
