South Africa ready to host BRICS summit: official

JOHANNESBURG, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- South Africa is ready to host the much-anticipated 15th BRICS summit, said Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor on Monday.

"President Ramaphosa has confirmed South Africa's readiness to host the 15th BRICS summit in person, in Sandton, Johannesburg. The president has therefore invited 67 leaders from Africa and the Global South to attend the BRICS-Africa outreach and BRICS Plus dialogues," Pandor said while briefing the media about the country's preparations for the summit, which will be held on Aug. 22-24.

The leaders invited to attend the summit cover all the continents and regions of the Global South, Pandor said.

South Africa will host the summit under the theme "BRICS and Africa: Partnership for Mutually Accelerated Growth, Sustainable Development, and Inclusive Multilateralism." During the summit, it will host the BRICS Business Forum, the BRICS Leaders Retreat and the 15th BRICS Summit Plenary, among others, according to Pandor.

"BRICS leaders are expected to discuss opportunities for realizing the full potential of BRICS for inclusive global economic recovery and sustainable development and strengthening each other," she said.

The BRICS is an acronym for five emerging economies -- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. South Africa assumed the BRICS presidency on Jan. 1, 2023, taking over from China.