Ufa Hosts BRICS and SCO

The Greek crisis, Ukraine and the expected lifting of sanctions against Iran are just some of the topics that Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa are discussing at the BRICS summit in Ufa on July 8-10.

In total, Ufa City, Russia, will witness the bringing together of heads of state and government of nearly two dozen countries, as well as the heads of seven international organizations. The summit is expected to involve the signing of a number of important documents as well as many bilateral meetings.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin has already met with Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, President of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff and President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko.

It is significant that Belarus and a number of countries outside the BRICS are very interested in this platform and sent their representatives to Ufa. It is quite understandable – it is an event with the participation of leaders of the biggest and fastest-growing emerging markets.

Energy efficiency and the economic situation are among the top issues being discussed at the BRICS summit with BRICS’ heads planning on talking about expanding trade and investment ties.

Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping talked about the interface of the Silk Road and the EEU. Gui Congyou, Deputy Director General of China’s Foreign Ministry Department of European and Central Asian Affairs, said that China is preparing for big investments in Russia. Oil and gas mastering in Russia is one of the priorities for China. “Besides oil and gas, we are ready to invest in the Russian economy, including in infrastructure development in social projects fields, such as affordable housing for people,” Congyou said.

Experts agree that the BRICS has gradually been transformed by changing the format of dialogue to a coordination structure, so becoming a platform for concrete actions.

International security topics also will be in the spotlight, in particular the situation in Ukraine and the problem of international terrorism.

Leaders of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) – Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan – are to meet today, Friday July 10.

Keep up-to-date with the latest developments on www.georgiatoday.ge

Eka Karsaulidze