Various countries have expressed interest in attending the forthcoming BRICS Summit in Tatarstan city of Kazan (from Oct.22-24).
Russia, which holds the rotating presidency of the bloc, says the West is trying to pressure interested countries not to attend the summit.
The Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said at a briefing, “Of course, certain countries are being pressured.” He added that 32 counties confirmed their participation in the economic bloc BRICS summit.
“The representation [at the BRICS summit], including African countries, is quite significant. So the facts speak for themselves. But pressure, of course, has not been avoided, and I think it will continue to be exerted,” the Kremlin aide pointed out.
According to Ushakov, “probably not all countries of the world are interested in the success of the Kazan summit.” “This is quite obvious,” he said.
Ushakov explained that so far 34 states are seeking either a full membership or cooperation in some other forms.
The Russian Presidency of the bloc has been focused on “promoting the entire range of partnership and cooperation within the framework of the association on three key tracks – politics and security, the economy and finance, and cultural and humanitarian ties.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters that he plans to have some 20 bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the BRICS summit.
The rise of BRICS (BRICS+) reflects a shared belief among important emerging players that the Western-dominated, rules-based international order—and particularly the system of global economic governance—is both stacked against their interests and fundamentally outdated.
