Tenth BRICS summit kicks off in Johannesburg

JONANNESBURG, July 25. /TASS/. The tenth summit of the BRICS leaders opened in Johannesburg on Wednesday. The three-day event attended by the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa began with a business forum, which brought together government officials, businesspeople and expert community members from the group’s five member-states. The guests of the forum were addressed by South African Trade Minister Rob Davies. The minister pointed to the attractiveness of African markets for potential investors in light of the setting up of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). To date, 49 of 55 African Union member-countries signed the document. The Russian delegation at the business forum includes Economic Development Minister Maxim Oreshkin, First Deputy CEO of Russian Railways Alexander Misharin, Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Global Rus Trade and member of the Coordination Council of Delovaya Rossiya (Business Russia) Anna Nesterova and President of Russia’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry Sergei Katyrin. On Thursday, the summit continue with a meeting of the BRICS heads of state, while the leaders of Argentina, Egypt, Indonesia, Turkey, Jamaica and some African countries invited by the South African government will join the event on Friday. Read more