Armenia will attend the upcoming BRICS summit, scheduled to take place in Kazan, Russia, from October 22-24, 2024. This was confirmed by Armenia’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Mnatsakan Safaryan, during a briefing with journalists at the National Assembly.
“Yes, we will participate,” Safaryan stated, officially confirming Armenia’s involvement.
While Armenia is not a BRICS member, it has been invited to the event along with other Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) members. Russian officials had previously announced that the leaders of CIS countries, as well as leaders of several non-member states, were invited to the summit. Among those expected to attend is Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose participation has been confirmed.
Sargis Khandanyan, Head of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Foreign Relations, emphasized that Armenia’s participation in the BRICS summit will not strain its relations with the West.
“I don’t think BRICS is the format that could cause any tension anywhere, especially considering that Armenia enjoys friendly and partnership relations with many of the member states. This is a platform for the discussion of various issues,” Khandanyan noted.
He further stated, “The European Union and Western partners respect Armenia’s approaches, and many EU countries also have very good and warm relations with BRICS member states. I don’t think there could be a problem here.”
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s participation has not yet been confirmed. However, his attendance would come despite recent tensions between Armenia and Moscow, marked by Armenia’s de facto suspension of its membership in the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). Pashinyan has boycotted CSTO summits over the past year, though there are indications he may attend the Kazan summit.
The Russian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday reiterated its call for Armenia to resume “full-fledged participation” in CSTO activities.
“Yerevan de jure remains a full member of the CSTO and retains the corresponding rights and obligations,” said Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry. She added, “The Armenian leadership adheres to the policy of moving away from such interaction, which, in our opinion, is contrary to the interests of the Armenian people.”
The BRICS group, established in 2009 by Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, represents nearly half of the world’s population and serves as a coalition of the world’s major emerging economies. The group has since expanded to include the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Iran, with Saudi Arabia invited to join. Several countries, including Azerbaijan, Malaysia, and Thailand, have also expressed interest in joining the bloc.
The upcoming summit is expected to discuss further expansion, with Turkey having formally requested membership. Azerbaijan has also recently applied to join, underscoring BRICS’ growing influence as both an economic and political counterbalance to Western nations.
