Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (Photo Spencer Platt/Getty Images) |President Cyril Ramaphosa. (Siyabulela Duda/GCIS) . Russian President Vladimir Putin. (EPA-EFE/Ramil Sitdikov / Sputnik / Government Press Service The Cyril Ramaphosa Presidency has formally announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin will not be attending the BRICS Summit.
In a statement issued on Wednesday morning, Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said the Russian Federation would be represented by its foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov.
“By mutual agreement, President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation will not attend the summit but the Russian Federation will be represented by Foreign Minister Mr Sergey Lavrov,” it read.
“In due course, a comprehensive statement on the substantive issues to be covered at the summit and other related foreign policy matters will be issued.”
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This announcement comes after weeks of consultations about the summit. The President’s most recent consultation in this regard took place last night, Tuesday, 18 July 2023, at the BRICS Political Party Dialogue in Gauteng.
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The summit will be attended by the leaders of other member countries – Brazil, India, China and South Africa.
“President Ramaphosa is confident that the summit will be a success and calls on the nation to extend the necessary hospitality to the many delegates who will arrive from various parts of the continent and the globe,” the statement reads. DM