BRICS countries will discuss expansion issues and hold their first offline meeting in three years. South Africa | Russia | Countries
According to the Russian Sputnik News Agency, South African President Ramaphosa said on July 9 that the BRICS leaders' meeting to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa, in August would be a face-to-face meeting. South Africa is the rotating presidency of the BRICS countries in 2023.
According to the report, in a video posted on Twitter, Ramaphosa said, "We will hold an offline summit of BRICS leaders... this meeting is not a video conference."
Ramaphosa stated that the leaders of BRICS countries have not held offline meetings for nearly three years.
According to reports, the 15th meeting of BRICS leaders will be held in Johannesburg, South Africa from August 22nd to 24th.
According to TASS, Ramaphosa announced that South Africa has extended invitations to all leaders of the BRICS countries.
He also stated that the leaders' meeting will discuss the issue of expanding BRICS membership, and many countries want to join this cooperation mechanism.
The BRICS countries include five countries: China, Russia, India, Brazil, and South Africa. After more than a decade of development, the foundation of cooperation among BRICS countries has become increasingly solid, the fields have gradually expanded, and the results of cooperation have become increasingly fruitful. The BRICS cooperation mechanism has gained widespread recognition and support from the international community, and more and more like-minded partners hope to participate in it.
Last June, during the 14th meeting of BRICS leaders, the leaders of the five countries reached an important consensus on the issue of BRICS expansion, supporting the discussion of expansion standards and procedures.
According to today's Russian television website on June 30th, Anil Sukrar, the coordinator of BRICS affairs in South Africa, said that multiple countries are interested in joining the BRICS cooperation mechanism because the BRICS countries are firmly committed to supporting developing countries, including Africa.
Sukrar said that "25 to 30 countries" have informally expressed a strong desire to become members of the BRICS family.