Russian President Vladimir Putin praised his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa for how he handled the Brics summit, which ended with the decision to expand the group by six countries.
There was some disagreement over the decision to expand the group’s membership, which currently consists of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, which has been hosting the annual meeting.
Due to an international arrest warrant, Mr. Putin was unable to attend the summit in person in Johannesburg, but he did address the leaders via videolink.
“I must note that, as it turned out, this work was not easy, and President Ramaphosa showed amazing diplomatic skills in agreeing on all positions, including those related to the expansion of the Brics,” the Reuters news agency quotes him as saying.
“Our Brazilian colleague, President Lula da Silva, has just mentioned some of the most important points for all of us, among which I would, of course, single out the issues of a single accounting currency.”
He also stated that Russia wanted to strengthen ties with Africa, but he omitted to mention Yevgeny Prigozhin’s alleged passing. Prigozhin was the leader of the Wagner mercenary group, which operates in several African nations.
He said: “We will continue the work that we have started today – to expand the influence of Brics in the world”- to countries joining next year, including Argentina, Egypt, Iran, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
Source-BBC
