BRICS meeting starts in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod

Addis Ababa, June 10, 2024 (FBC) – The two-day meeting of foreign ministers belonging to the BRICS countries of emerging economies commenced on Monday in the Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod.

The meeting marks the first gathering since the group expanded from five members to nine in January with the addition of Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates as official members.

Ethiopia’s Foreign Minister, Taye Atske Selassie in tandem with other senior officials is attending the meeting.

Another 15 countries, including Türkiye, were also invited to the expanded format of the meeting.

The meeting chaired by Russia began with a minute of silence in memory of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, who were killed in a helicopter crash in the Iranian province of East Azerbaijan last month.

In his remarks at the meeting, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that active work is being done to implement the decisions made at the BRICS Johannesburg summit last year, indicating the measures particularly focus on developing a platform for transactions in national currencies.