Lula arrives in South Africa for the 15th BRICS Summit

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva landed early this Monday morning (21st) in Johannesburg, South Africa, where he will participate, between the 22nd and 24th, in the 15th BRICS Summit – a bloc formed by Brazil, Russia, India , China and South Africa.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 40 heads of state or government from Africa and Asia, as well as Latin America and the Middle East, are expected to participate. All with a confirmed presence for this, which will be the first post-pandemic face-to-face meeting.

From the countries of the bloc, presidents Lula (Brazil), Cyril Ramaphosa (South Africa) and Xi Jinping (China), and the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, will be present. Russian President Vladimir Putin will participate remotely.

According to the Itamaraty, 22 countries have already formally expressed interest in joining the Brics. The definition of criteria and principles for the entry of new members into the bloc will be one of the subjects to be discussed during the summit meeting.

Another issue to be discussed by the group will be the plans for the New Development Bank (NDB) – the Bank of the Brics – regarding the use of local currencies or an eventual reference unit of the Brics for commercial transactions.

“It is likely that there will be some result in this area,” said Itamaraty’s Asia and Pacific secretary, Eduardo Paes Saboia, last week during a briefing by Itamaraty about the trip. According to him, this is a very important asset for the block.

Saboia said that the war between Russia and Ukraine should also be discussed, but only internally during the so-called “retreat”, when the heads of state and government of the Brics will meet in a closed manner. “Certainly the topic will be discussed in more depth than [deverá constar] in the statement [ao fim do evento]”.

On the 25th and 26th, Lula will travel to the Angolan capital, Luanda, where he will be received by President João Lourenço, with whom he will have a private meeting and an extended one on the first day of the visit. Bilateral cooperation and the strengthening of historical links will be the main themes of Lula’s visit to Angola.

Lula will also go to the National Assembly of Angola to participate in a seminar, where he will talk about the project in the Cunene Valley, and in a business event that should be attended by around 60 Brazilian businessmen. In addition, the signing of acts and memorandums in the areas of agriculture, data processing, health and education are planned.

On Sunday (27), President Lula will travel to São Tomé, capital of São Tomé and Príncipe, to participate in the 14th Conference of Heads of State of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP), an entity that has as members Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Mozambique, Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe and East Timor.

🇿🇦🇺🇸 Lula arrives in South Africa for the first in-person BRICS summit since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The President of Brazil was accompanied by the First Lady, Janja da Silva, and the President of the BRICS Bank, Dilma Rousseff, and was received by the Minister of Relations… pic.twitter.com/f8r7wqG0k3

— Political Axis (@eixopolitico) August 21, 2023

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