ST. PETERSBURG (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th February, 2020) Russia begins its chairmanship of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) with a three-day sherpas' meeting that will take place in the city of St. Petersburg on Tuesday.
In January, Moscow took over the chairmanship of the group from Brazil under the overarching theme of "BRICS Strategic Partnership for Global Stability, Shared Security and Innovative Growth."
The strategy for Russia's chairmanship was announced by President Vladimir Putin at the group's summit in Brazil last year. According to the president, Moscow will focus on improving foreign policy coordination between member states focusing on enhancing cooperation primarily within the United Nations. The key priorities of the Russian chairmanship include fighting terrorism, cutting off terrorism funding and combating money laundering.
As for the economy, Russia plans to suggest that the participating nations revisit the BRICS Strategy for Partnership in Trade and Investment that they adopted at the summit in the Russian city of Ufa.
Russia is planning to hold about 150 events throughout the year in 16 cities. In July, St. Petersburg will host the BRICS leaders' summit. Five heads of the governments and states will hold another meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in the Saudi Arabia in November.
Kazan, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Samara, Sochi, Saransk, Ulyanovsk, Ufa, Khanty-Mansiysk, Yaroslavl and a number of other Russian cities will host BRICS events, such as meetings of ministers, business leaders and experts.
Russia last chaired BRICS in 2015, when the summit took place in Ufa. Russia also hosted the summit in back in 2009, before BRIC turned into BRICS following South Africa's accession.
