At the opening of the BRICS summit yesterday, Brazilian President Lula da Silva recalled that the five countries of the bloc – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – outnumber those of the G7 (the seven most developed countries). in terms of economic growth. . Before the event, however, he had remembered that the BRICS “are not a counterpoint to the G7 or the G20, or anyone else.” The idea, he defended, is to organize the Global South and not serve as a rival or threat.
Lula was speaking at the BRICS business forum, the summit’s first event that runs through Friday, alongside Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South African host Cyril Ramaphosa. Chinese President Xi Jinping was absent from the podium and was replaced by Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao. The big absentee, however, is Russian President Vladimir Putin., who chose not to travel because of the international arrest warrant for allegations of child abduction in Ukraine. However, for this first event, he sent a video.
Source: DN
