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South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Dr Naledi Pandor, and Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry departed their countries on Sunday for the Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod, which is due to host the BRICS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting from June 10-11.

The two leaders will join their colleagues from other BRICS nations for deliberations expected to focus on matters of global interest.

“The upcoming meetings are expected to discuss topical issues of international relations, the international agenda, improving the global governance system with a focus on increasing the role of developing countries, conflict resolution, interaction in leading multilateral platforms,” said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharov ahead of the meetings.

The Foreign Ministers’ meetings are part of a series of events organized by Russia as part of its BRICS presidency agenda.

Russia took over the year-long presidency of the BRICS group on January 1, 2024. Over 250 events are expected to be held as part of Moscow’s BRICS Presidency, which will culminate in the group’s summit in Kazan in October.

The Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson also noted that the country’s Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, will organise a ‘marathon of bilateral meetings’ on the margins of the BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting.

The Foreign Ministers’ meetings come on the back of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), which was held on June 5-8 under the theme “The Formation of New Areas of Growth as the Cornerstone of a Multipolar World.”