Sri Lanka to Seek BRICS Membership at Expanded 2024 Summit

COLOMBO (News 1st); The 16th BRICS Summit is scheduled to take place from October 22 to 24, 2024, in Kazan, Russia. 

This summit marks a significant milestone as it will be the first gathering of BRICS countries following its expansion to include five new members: Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Iran, and Ethiopia.

The summit will bring together leaders from Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, and the new member countries to discuss critical global issues and enhance cooperation among these emerging economies.

The 2024 BRICS Summit will focus on several pivotal topics, including:
- Global Economic Stability
- Sustainable Development
- Geopolitical Dynamics
- Technological Innovation

For Sri Lanka, the outcomes of the BRICS 2024 Summit hold considerable significance. 

Earlier this month, Russian Ambassador Levan S. Dzhagaryan called on Sri Lankan Anura Kumara Dissanayake and handed the invitation to take part in the BRICS summit in Kazan on October 22-24, 2024. 

Sri Lanka is to place on record its request for membership of BRICS at the outreach BRICS summit.

During an interaction with the Colombo-based diplomatic corps at the foreign affairs ministry, Foreign Affairs Minister Vijitha Herath said he and President Anura Kumara Dissanayake will be unable to attend the summit because of the parliamentary election, but the secretary of foreign affairs will represent Sri Lanka and place on record request for membership.

He said he has already addressed letters to his counterparts in the BRICS member states seeking support.