Amid the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the 14th BRICS summit in virtual format is set to take place later this month. The dates for the virtual summit have not been officially announced by China which is the host this year, however, according to reports, it is expected to take place around June 24-24, 2022.
2022 BRICS Summit Theme
In January this year, India handed over the BRICS presidency to China. This year’s theme is “Fostering high-quality BRICS partnership to usher in a new era for global development”.
This year, 25 events have been planned and India will host five events under the BRICS Science and Technology Innovation Steering Committee, the Ministry of Science and Technology said in a statement in January this year.
In a statement issued by the Ministry of Science and Technology in January this year, around 25 events have been planned and of these, India will host five in 2022 under the Innovation Steering Committee science and technology of the BRICS.
Last month, BRICS foreign ministers met virtually, and the meeting was hosted by Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi. The meeting was attended by Foreign Minister Dr S Jaishankar, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, South African Minister for International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor, Brazilian Foreign Minister Carlos Alberto Franco França.
The objective of the meeting was the preparation of the BRICS summit. And, according to reports, during this meeting, China expressed its desire to improve communication and coordination among the other members of the grouping on major regional and international issues as well as on the ongoing conflict.
Who will attend the summit virtually?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil, South African President and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
This is the third BRICS Summit Modi will attend since tensions erupted on the Line of Actual Control when the PLA transgressed in April 2020.
This is the first meeting of all BRICS leaders since the Russian-Ukrainian conflict in February 2022.
Interestingly, the summit is scheduled to take place around June 23-24, which means it will be ahead of the G-7 summit where the leaders of Germany, the UK, France, from Japan, Canada and the United States will meet at Schloss Elmau in the Bavarian Alps, June 26-28. Germany holds the G-7 Presidency this year and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz officially invited Prime Minister Modi during his bilateral visit to Berlin recently.
The BRICS before the G-7
The G-7’s attention will be dominated by the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine and its fallout in the Indo-Pacific. China’s growing belligerence, its use of military force in Taiwan, its relationship with Russia and how to deal with these international issues will also be at the G-7 leaders’ table.
BRICS & Trade
Earlier this year, Sherpas from the five countries had met virtually to discuss the format, agenda as well as meeting dates and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Secretary for Multilateral and Economic Relations, Dammu Ravi, represented India.
The economic implications of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and the financial mechanisms to deal with the sanctions imposed by the United States, the European Union and others and, above all, the cooperation between member countries to fight the COVID-pandemic- 19.
In addition, according to reports, the use of national currencies of BRICS member countries, the financial messaging system, the establishment of an independent BRICS rating agency and other related issues could be discussed.