The economic alliance of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) will be holding its 15th annual summit of leaders in Johannesburg from Tuesday to Thursday.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the event in-person, while Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend via video link. Russia’s delegation in Johannesburg will be led by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
South Africa, the bloc’s 2023 chair, invited delegations from dozens of other countries and international organizations, including UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and African Union chief Moussa Faki Mahamat.
The summit’s key focus is expected to be BRICS’ possible expansion, as according to South African Sherpa Anil Sooklal 19 countries have expressed their interest in obtaining membership. Other discussion topics on the agenda include economic relations, trade infrastructure and the potential switch to a common currency to reduce member states’ reliance on the US dollar.
