15th BRICS summit

2023 BRICS summit
15th BRICS summit
← 14th 22–24 August 2023 16th →
Host country South Africa
Venue(s)Sandton Convention Centre
CitiesJohannesburg
Participants Brazil
 Russia
 India
 China
 South Africa
Invited bodies:
 African Union
Arab Maghreb Union
 Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
 United Nations
 ASEAN[1]
ChairCyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa
Websitewww.brics2023.gov.za

The 2023 BRICS summit was the fifteenth annual BRICS summit, an international relations conference attended by the heads of state or heads of government of the five member states: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.[2][3] South African President Cyril Ramaphosa also invited the leaders of 67 countries to the summit.[4]

Summit Events

BRICS Expansion

Several countries have expressed interest in joining the BRICS group.[5] At the summit, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates have been invited to join the bloc. Full membership took effect on 1 January 2024.[6][7]

Participating leaders

Other attendees

Country Position Officeholder Source
 Algeria Finance Minister Laaziz Fayed [10]
 Angola State Minister of Economic Coordenation José de Lima Massano [11]
 Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina [12]
 Belarus Foreign Minister Sergei Aleinik [13]
 Bolivia President Luis Arce [14]
 Botswana Vice President Slumber Tsogwane [15]
 Burundi President Evariste Ndayishimiye [16]
 Cameroon Prime Minister Joseph Ngute [17]
 Central African Republic President Faustin-Archange Touadera [18]
 China Commerce Minister Wang Wentao [19]
 Congo President Denis Sassou Nguesso [20]
 Cuba President Miguel Díaz-Canel [21]
 DR Congo Prime Minister Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde [22]
 Egypt Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly [23]
 Ethiopia Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed [24]
 Equatorial Guinea President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo [25]
 Eritrea President Isaias Afwerki [26]
 Ghana President Nana Akufo-Addo [27]
 Indonesia President Joko Widodo [28]
 Iran President Ebrahim Raisi [29]
 Libya Vice President Musa Al-Koni [30]
 Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera [17]
 Mozambique President Filipe Nyusi [31]
 Namibia President Hage Geingob [32]
 Nigeria Vice President Kashim Shettima [33]
 Palestine Deputy Prime Minister Ziad Abu Amr [34]
 Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic President Brahim Ghali [35]
 São Tomé and Príncipe President Carlos Vila Nova [11]
 Saudi Arabia Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud [13]
 Senegal President Macky Sall [11]
 South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardit [36]
 Tanzania President Samia Suluhu Hassan [37]
 Uganda Vice President Jessica Alupo [38]
 United Arab Emirates President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan [17]
 Zambia President Hakainde Hichilema [39]
 Zimbabwe Vice President Constantino Chiwenga [40]

Controversies

Participation of Vladimir Putin

Main article: International Criminal Court arrest warrants for Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova
The BRICS leaders and Sergei Lavrov (representing Vladimir Putin).

In March 2023, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin for war crimes during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[41] South Africa is required as an ICC signatory to honour the warrant.[2]

In May 2023, the South African government, led by the African National Congress (ANC),[42] granted all invited leaders diplomatic immunity. It remained unclear at the time whether this would prevent Putin from being arrested if he attended. According to the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, it was standard practice in South Africa to confer such immunity to attendees of international conferences held in the country.[3]

By early June 2023, moving the summit to China was being considered to avoid the issue.[43] In mid-July 2023, Vladimir Putin announced that he would not attend the summit "by mutual agreement" and would instead be sending Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.[44]

Narendra Modi's refusal to disembark plane

Ethiopian Prime Minister Ahmed with Indian counterpart Prime Minister Narendra Modi meeting for Ethiopia's admission to the alliance

On 22 August 2023, Daily Maverick reported that India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi refused to get off his plane until the deputy president of South Africa was dispatched to welcome him[45][46][47] instead of the government cabinet minister that was present to conduct the airport welcome.[47] The South African government denied that Modi had refused to disembark his plane, saying that Ramaphosa was unable to meet Modi at the airport due to scheduling difficulties, and adding that it was common for government ministers to welcome visiting heads of state.[48]

Following the publication of the story the Daily Maverick experienced a sustained DDOS attack from India[46][49] which forced it to temporarily block access to the site from India.[50] The editor-in-chief of the Daily Maverick speculated that the reason for the DDOS attack was to prevent people in India from reading the article.[49]

Nonattendance by Xi Jinping

Despite meeting with host Cyril Ramaphosa earlier in the day and attending the BRICS dinner afterward, Chinese President Xi Jinping unexpectedly did not attend the BRICS business forum where he had been scheduled to speak and instead his speech was read out by Minister of Commerce of China Wang Wentao.[51][19]

Notes

  1. ^ The head of government of China is the Premier, while the President is legally a ceremonial office and has no real power in China's political system. However, the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (top position) has always held this office since 1993 except for the months of transition, and the current paramount leader is Xi Jinping.

References

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  8. ^ [Russia will be represented by its Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at the Johannesburg summit]
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  25. ^ BRICS Summit 2023
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  29. ^ Iran President Arrives In South Africa To Attend 15th BRICS Summit - Iran Front Page
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  34. ^ BRICS Summit 2023
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