Elena Teslova
10 October 2024•Update: 10 October 2024
MOSCOW
Russian Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov said on Thursday that 32 counties confirmed their participation in the economic bloc BRICS summit in Russia's city of Kazan on Oct.22-24.
Speaking at a press briefing in Moscow, Ushakov said 24 states will be represented by their heads and eight others by high-ranking officials.
In addition, secretaries general of several international organizations, including the UN current head Antonio Guterres will take part in the event, according to the official.
"If we talk about this Kazan event, in my opinion, it can turn into the largest foreign policy event that has ever been held in our country," he stressed.
Ushakov announced that the BRICS leaders will consider accepting new members at the summit, as of now 34 states are seeking either a full membership or cooperation in some other forms, he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to have some 20 bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the BRICS summit, he said.
BRICS, founded in 2009 with Brazil, Russia, India, and China, added South Africa in 2011, expanding its name, formed from the first letters of names of the founder countries, to BRICS.
In December 2023, six more countries joined -- Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. However, Argentina later withdrew from the bloc at the instruction of pro-Western leader Javier Milei, and the situation is unclear with Saudi Arabia, which reportedly is yet to ratify its membership.
Despite the expansion, the collective decision was made to preserve the name BRICS.
