Filipe Nyusi
The presidents of Angola and Mozambique, respectively João Lourenço and Filipe Nyusi, have been invited to take part in the tenth BRICS summit meeting, to be held this 25-27 July in Johannesburg, South Africa’s minister of International Relations and Cooperation announced on Monday.
Minister Lindiwe Sisulu highlighted that the visit by the two leaders of Southern African Development Community (SADC) member countries was framed by the intention of the leaders of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) countries to boost their relations with Africa.
Sisulu explained that besides João Lourenço and Filipe Nyusi, six other African heads of state were also invited to participate in the Johannesburg summit, from Gabon, Namibia, Rwanda, Senegal, Togo and Uganda.
The meeting between the BRICS leaders and their African counterparts is scheduled for the 27th, the last day of the summit, according to the official program released on Monday.
João Lourenço
The summit meeting will culminate with adoption of the Johannesburg Declaration, which includes the goals agreed by the five BRICS countries up to 31 December 2018, the date South Africa’s turn at the helm of the rotating presidency ends.
When Angolan Foreign Minister Manuel Augusto announced that the Angolan president had been invited by his South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa, to attend the summit, he recalled that João Lourenço heads the SADC’s Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation.
The first BRICS summit meeting was held on 16 June 2009 in Yekaterinburg, Russia, with the four initial countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China). South Africa joined on 24 December 2010, giving rise to the current form of the organization’s name. MDT/Macauhub
No Comments