<img src="https://img.day.az/2024/10/22/800×550/photo_2024-10-22_08-23-55.jpg" class="article-image" alt="BRİCS Summit in Kazan“/>
Author: Elchin Alioglu
Source: Trend
The holding of the BRICS summit in Kazan stands out as one of the important events in the international arena. The reason why this summit arouses unusual interest is that it is the stage for making not only economic issues, but also important geopolitical decisions. In this context, the applications of Azerbaijan and Turkey to join BRICS act as one of the factors that further increase the political and economic potential of this platform. Azerbaijan’s participation in this organization should be considered as one of the factors that can affect the balance of economic and political power not only regionally, but globally.
BRICS is an informal union of nations. By 2024, it included Brazil, Russia, India, China, and the Republic of South Africa (“South Africa” in English), and the first letters of the countries’ names formed this acronym. From January 1, 2024, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Ethiopia were included in the block, but it was decided not to add new letters to the existing name.
BRICS does not have a charter, charter or other regulatory documents, so it cannot be called an international organization. This union has become a partnership platform for countries with similar interests in the fields of economy, politics and security.
BRICS representatives hold numerous meetings every year. The main and final event is the annual summit. Leaders of member states and heads of ministries participate in this summit. At the summit, the results of the year are discussed and the declaration is adopted.
The summit is organized annually by the country holding the presidency of the association – this role changes every year. In 2024, BRICS will be led by Russia, so the XVI summit will be held here. Kazan was chosen for this event because the city has great experience in organizing international events. More than 20,000 guests, including heads of foreign states and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, will arrive in the capital of Tatarstan on October 22-24.
Who will come to the BRICS summit in Kazan?
First persons of the BRICS states:
Russian President Vladimir Putin
President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi
CAR President Cyril Ramaphosa
UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Khalil al-Sisi
Iranian President Masoud Pazeshkiyan
Prime Minister of Ethiopia Abiy Ahmed Ali
Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia
Representatives of other states:
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev
President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan
President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev
President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko
Milorad Dodik, President of the Republic of Serbia
Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin
The President of Mongolia Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh
Laos President Thongloun Sisoulith
Congolese President Denis Sassou Nguesso
Bolivia President Luis Arce Katakora
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas
Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim
Thai Foreign Minister Marit Sangiampong
Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani
Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Ali Sabry
Vyetnam Baş naziri Pham Minh Chinh
Heads of the organization:
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres
SCO General Secretary Zhang Ming
CIS Secretary General Sergey Lebedev
Tayir Mansurov, Secretary General of the Eurasian Economic Union
Dmitry Mezentsev, Secretary General of the Union State of Russia and Belarus
Dilma Rousseff, president of the BRICS New Development Bank
Those who did not confirm their participation in the summit: the heads of state of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Syria and Cuba and the Deputy Prime Minister of Afghanistan.
The main topics of the BRICS summit to be held in Kazan will be the strengthening of multilateralism, the integration of new members and the resolution of regional conflicts, said Assistant to the President Ushakov. The event will take place on October 22-24.
The BRICS summit to be held in the capital of Tatarstan will be dedicated to strengthening multilateralism, integration of new members into the union, global agenda and solving regional conflicts, Russian President’s assistant Yuri Ushakov told reporters, RBC correspondent reports.
On the evening of October 22, an informal dinner will be organized for the participants in the Kazan City Hall. The work of the BRICS summit will begin on the morning of October 23.
On the first day, two sessions will be held on strengthening multilateralism. In particular, narrow members of the delegations will discuss regional conflict resolution, financial interactions within BRICS and future expansion scenarios, Ushakov said.
In the evening, a ceremonial reception will be held on behalf of Russian President Vladimir Putin. BRICS members and representatives of the CIS in the “outreach” / “BRICS Plus” format will take part in the solemn event. Putin intends to hold bilateral meetings with Iranian and Turkish Presidents Masoud Pazeshkiyan and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as well as Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali.
On October 24, a session on “BRICS and the global South, working together to build a better world” will be held, where special attention will be paid to the situation in the Middle East. A press conference of the President of Russia is expected at the end of the meeting, Ushakov said.
After that, Putin will hold seven bilateral meetings with the presidents of Palestine, Laos, Mauritania, Bolivia, the Republic of Serbia, the UN Secretary General and the Prime Minister of Vietnam.
As a result of the summit, it is planned to adopt the Kazan Declaration. Representatives of 36 countries and six international organizations will participate in the event. The presidents of Brazil and Cuba, who previously refused to visit Kazan, will be represented at the event at the level of foreign ministries.
According to Yury Ushakov, assistant to the head of state of Russia Vladimir Putin, it is also planned to prepare the modalities of the new “partner-state” category for BRICS.
“In the future, it is planned to accept new members through this partnership mechanism. This mechanism exists in almost all regional organizations – the Shanghai Cooperation Organization can be mentioned in particular in this context. It is very important. We hope that the “partner-state” modalities will be completely eliminated. it will be possible to agree, and at this time it will be clearer who will be invited to cooperate with BRICS and how,” Y. Ushakov said.
BRICS was established in June 2006 with the participation of Brazil, Russia, India and China. Initially, the union was called BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) after the first letters of the countries’ names. Later, the Republic of South Africa joined the union and the organization received the name BRICS (South African Republic in English). From the beginning of 2024, Egypt, Iran, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Ethiopia joined the union. About 30 other countries are also interested in joining the organization.
Azerbaijan’s membership in BRICS will, above all, strengthen the country’s geopolitical and economic position. Azerbaijan’s role as a transit and logistics center in the South Caucasus opens important perspectives for both regional and global powers. Projects such as the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway line and the Trans-Caspian transport route prove that Azerbaijan has strategic advantages in the transport infrastructure of the region. This is of great importance for BRICS members. Because for these countries, Azerbaijan is not only an energy provider, but also can act as a main transit hub for the implementation of various economic cooperation projects.
The role that Azerbaijan can play in the BRICS platform is not limited to the economy. The issues of stability and security in the South Caucasus are becoming more and more relevant for the BRICS countries. The liberated Karabakh and surrounding regions of Azerbaijan have the potential to create new economic opportunities. Reconstruction works and infrastructure projects in the region create great investment opportunities for BRICS members. The economic development of Karabakh will serve both the internal development of Azerbaijan and regional stability. In this context, Azerbaijan has a unique position to implement joint projects with BRICS countries. The economic development of Karabakh and the projects to be implemented there are of interest not only to Azerbaijan, but also to other countries that want to join BRICS.
Membership in BRICS enables Azerbaijan to play a more active role in the global political arena. This is considered as an important countermeasure, especially against the attempts of the West to increase its influence in the region. In recent times, the West has been taking various steps to upset the balance in the South Caucasus, especially by providing Armenia with new weapons and trying to create tension in the region. The attempts of Azerbaijan and Turkey to join BRICS can be evaluated as a clear political signal against the West. This is an important step towards the strengthening of the multipolar world in international relations and the creation of various power centers.
Besides, Azerbaijan’s membership in BRICS will further strengthen its economic relations. Currently, a significant part of Azerbaijan’s exports is directed to the BRICS countries, and this will increase in the future. Azerbaijan’s prospects for cooperation within this organization will not be limited only to the energy sector, but will also include agriculture, high technologies, transport and infrastructure projects. This creates an opportunity to diversify Azerbaijan’s exports and take a more active role in the world economy.
Azerbaijan’s accession to BRICS will also strengthen its regional diplomacy. Baku has been pursuing a balanced and multifaceted foreign policy in the region for a long time. This policy of Azerbaijan strengthens relations with regional countries and makes an important contribution to ensuring regional security. Being a member of BRICS will enable this policy to be more effective at the global level. Azerbaijan already has close economic and political relations with Russia, Turkey, China and other BRICS member countries, and the further expansion of these relations will allow Azerbaijan to act as a regional and global power center.
Another important point behind Azerbaijan’s desire to become a member of this platform is to protect and defend the country’s strategic interests on a larger scale. At a time of changing global power balances, platforms like BRICS offer new formats of cooperation and create an alternative to the dominance of the West. Azerbaijan’s representation on such platforms is important in terms of defending its sovereignty and national interests.
… Azerbaijan’s membership in BRICS will not only bring economic advantages, but will also strengthen the country’s position in the global political arena and contribute to regional stability and security. Azerbaijan’s active participation in the work of this organization will further increase its strategic position and potential.