New Delhi, Oct 18, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Russia on October 22-23 to attend the 16th BRICS summit. The Prime Minister will also hold bilateral meetings with the leaders of the group members and other invitees, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Friday. This is Prime Minister Modi’s second visit to Russia this year.
This is the first summit after the group expanded to nine members. Egypt, Iran, Ethiopia and the UAE joined the group this year after being offered membership at the 2023-summit in South Africa.
Argentina and Saudi Arabia were also invited. But Argentina declined after the change of government, while Saudi Arabia has not yet responded.
The Ministry of External Affairs said that Prime Minister Modi will visit Russia on October 22-23 at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin. There he will attend the 16th BRICS summit held in Kazan under the chairmanship of Russia. The theme of the summit is ‘Strengthening Multilateralism for Equitable Global Growth and Security’. The event will provide an important platform for the leaders to discuss key global issues.
The summit will be a valuable opportunity to assess the initiatives launched by BRICS and identify potential areas for future cooperation, the statement said.
The Prime Minister will also hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts from BRICS member countries and invited leaders in Kazan during his visit, the Ministry of External Affairs said.
According to Russian Presidential Assistant Yuri Ushakov, the BRICS summit in Kazan will be attended by leaders of 24 countries and delegations from a total of 32 countries, making it the largest foreign policy event ever held in Russia.
Apart from the main BRICS meeting, there will be meetings in the ‘BRICS+’ format on the theme ‘BRICS and the Global South: Building the Future of the World Together’. It will include representatives from Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America.
