Above photo: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg, Russia, Thursday, June 6, 2024. AP.
This marks the first after the bloc was joined by new members:
Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov opened the two-day BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting as its chair in the Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod from June 10 to 11.
Among those attending are: China’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi, South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Dr. Naledi Pandor, Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry, and Brazil’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Mauro Vieira, while Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan is attending in the extended format of the meeting.
This marks the first after the bloc was joined by new members – Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, as its original members are Russia, China, India, Brazil, and South Africa.
The meeting is intended to discuss “international relations, improvement of the global governance system with emphasis on strengthening the role of developing countries, conflict resolution, and interaction in leading multilateral platforms,” according to Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova.
Developing the strategic partnership within the BRICS will also be discussed, and close attention will be paid to the upcoming 16th BRICS summit in Kazan.
Back in April, Nigeria and Venezuela were eyeing a BRICS membership, given that it is a cooperation platform between the world’s biggest emerging economies.
Russia will be presiding over the BRICS annual summit of 2024 succeeding South Africa, prompting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to say that the country will soon join the alliance.
Just three days ago, Hala Elsaid, the Egyptian minister of Economic Development, said in remarks to Sputnik that Egypt aims to enhance collaboration with BRICS nations, and its inclusion in the bloc will facilitate streamlined trade with other African countries.
The minister further noted that Egypt has allocated a substantial portion of public investment toward enhancing infrastructure.
“We look forward to greater interaction with the BRICS countries to facilitate investment and stimulate foreign trade,” Elsaid said.