Mint Explainer: BRICS Summit is around the corner. What’s at stake?
BRICS Leaders’ Summit is set to be held from 22 August to 24 August, with leaders from Brazil, South Africa, India and China expected to meet in Johannesburg. Mint looks at what is the agenda. – Leaders of the BRICS nations, minus Russian president Vladimir Putin, will meet in later this month in South Africa for the 15th Summit.
A source speaking to TASS, the Russian government news agency, said that invitations have also been sent to African heads of state and countries who have applied for BRICS membership. – The Russia’s president will be absent from the Summit. This follows speculation that Putin would have to be arrested by South African authorities in accordance with the country’s obligations under the Rome Statute, which established the International Criminal Court.
The ICC had issued an arrest warrant for Putin in March, related to alleged war crimes during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Putin will be present virtually. – The Summit is expected to see some development related to the expansion of BRICS grouping.
A number of names have been floating around: Saudi Arabia, Argentina, the UAE and Egypt, among others. – However, this has been a point of tension between China on the one hand and India and Brazil on the other. Analysts speculate that China is looking to add to the membership of BRICS to onboard more countries who share its West-skeptic worldview.
– However, New Delhi and Brasilia seem unwilling to allow this to happen. While both are active BRICS partners, neither wishes to have the organization turn explicitly anti-Western, given their close ties with Western nations. – BRICS nations also face larger challenges.
Read more on livemint.com
