Putin to hold talks with several world leaders during BRICS summit

MOSCOW, July 24. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold several meetings with the leaders of BRICS member countries, as well as with the invited heads of state, at the BRICS summit on July 26 in Johannesburg. According to Russian Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov, the Russian leader will hold negotiations with his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa, on the outcomes of which the leaders will sign a number of documents, including agreements on cooperation in the sphere of agriculture and use of water resources. Putin will also hold a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Ushakov reminded that Moscow and Beijing have a special agreement on meetings between their leaders, if they participate in an international forum, "and this agreement is being strictly followed." "On July 26, around 19:00 in the evening, a regular meeting with President Xi Jinping will take place. <…> This time, the setting will be informal, there will be a dinner," the Kremlin representative said. According to him, the leaders plan to discuss the issue of international cooperation in all spheres, the issues of coordinating efforts on the international stage, as well as Jinping’s participation in the Eastern Economic Forum. In the evening of the same day, Putin will meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "Right now, the Indians and we are preparing for our president’s visit to India in October of this year, and this will be the key event in the context of our bilateral relations," Ushakov said, adding that the leaders will discuss this aspect during their meeting in Johannesburg on the sidelines of the BRICS summit. Meetings with the BRICS summit guests Vladimir Putin will also hold a meeting with Argentine President Mauricio Macri, during which they will discuss the upcoming G20 summit, set to be held in late November. "A meeting with Argentine President Mauricio Macri is coming up. It is an important meeting, and we maintain intensive cooperation with Argentina. This meeting is especially significant in the context of preparing for the upcoming G20 summit, which will take place in Buenos Aires on November 29-December 1 of this year. We are actively preparing for it, and undoubtedly, these will be the main topics discussed during the contact with Argentina’s president," the Kremlin aide stated. After that, Putin will meet with Angola’s President Joao Lourenco for the first time since his election in 2017. "During the first meeting, they will concentrate on the issues of cooperation between BRICS and African countries, including Angola, the state of affairs in Africa, as well as the set of issues related to Russian-African cooperation in several areas, namely, diamond exploitation in Angola," Ushakov said. Another important encounter of the Russian leader will be with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The Kremlin aide noted that the regular dialogue will continue, as both sides often meet or communicate by phone, this year they have contacted each other 16 times. "At the upcoming meeting, they will discuss bilateral issues, energy projects, and cooperation on Syrian regulation, in particular, further steps in the Astana format," the aide pointed out. Finally, Putin will have a conversation with Zambian President Edgar Lungu. "Next year, Zambia will become chair of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA). It will be the first meeting of both presidents, even though the relations between the countries are rather developed. They will discuss the issues of economic growth, the development of a joint project on creating a center of nuclear science and technology in Zambia, and humanitarian issues," Ushakov told journalists. Read more