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“Invitations were sent to 38 states,” Ushakov said during a press conference, referring to the high-level summit to be held in Kazán.

Thirty-Two countries confirm participation in the BRICS summit, that will take place in Kazan, Russia. The event aims to promote multilaterism and development among emerging economies.

Russian presidential advisor Uri Ushakov announced on Thursday that 32 nations have confirmed their participation in the upcoming BRICS summit.

This year, the event will take place in the Russian city of Kazan from October 22 to 24, under the theme “Strengthening Multilateralism for Global Development and Security.”

“Invitations were sent to 38 states,” Ushakov said during a press conference, referring to the high-level summit to be held in the aforementioned city.

“Of course, this includes both member countries and those wishing to cooperate with our organization. About 32 countries have already confirmed their participation,” the advisor added.

He emphasized that all member countries have confirmed their attendance at the summit. “Additionally, nine of them will be at the highest level, and one country, Saudi Arabia, will send a foreign minister.”

Ushakov also mentioned the possibility that the summit could become the largest foreign policy event held in Russia, given the interest it generates among states pursuing an independent foreign policy.

He stated that invitations were also extended to those states presiding over regional integration associations in Southeast Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East.

Notable attendees include United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Dilma Rousseff, president of the New Development Bank of BRICS.

The summit will be divided into two segments: a meeting of BRICS member countries (October 22 and the morning of October 23) and then a BRICS+/reach meeting (afternoon of October 23 and morning of October 24), under the theme “BRICS and the Global South: Building a Better World Together.”

In August 2023, the bloc, originally composed of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, decided to expand and welcomed Egypt, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Ethiopia.

Regarding this expansion, Ushakov clarified in the press conference that the number of countries wanting to become BRICS members or cooperate with them in various ways is growing.

Currently, the BRICS also includes Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. On Monday, the Director of General Affairs of the Cuban Foreign Ministry, Carlos Pereira, announced that his country had requested to join BRICS+.

“Cuba has officially requested its incorporation into BRICS as a ‘partner country’ through a letter addressed to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who holds the presidency of a group that is consolidating itself as a key player in global geopolitics and a hope for the Global South countries,” Pereira stated.

During an interview with the TASS agency, Russia’s ambassador to Cuba, Victor Koronelli, confirmed Cuba’s request and recalled that Cuban representatives have already participated in several multidisciplinary events within the BRICS framework over the past year.

He also mentioned that Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel has been invited to participate in BRICS Plus/Outreach, a meeting that will take place during the upcoming BRICS summit in Kazan.

At the 2023 BRICS Summit, Cuba was invited as the pro tempore president of the Group of 77 + China. On that occasion, Cuban representatives advocated for enhancing synergies and effective coordination between BRICS and the G77.

Additionally, Cuba also defended respect for the United Nations Charter and urged the establishment of a new, more stable, predictable, and diversified international monetary order.

Formed in 2010, BRICS is an economic cooperation group that emerged as an initiative by Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. Since 2024, this group has included 10 countries, among them Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

Gustavo Petro denounced that the investigation into electoral expenses seeks to pave the way to a soft coup d’état.

On Wednesday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum expressed her solidarity with Colombian President Gustavo Petro regarding the injustice of the National Electoral Council (CNE) opening an investigation and filing charges against his 2022 presidential campaign for alleged irregular expenses.

“I want to publicly express our solidarity with President Petro. Two years after the elections, the CNE opened an investigation into campaign expenses. He called this action a coup,” she said at the start of her morning press conference.

Previously, the Colombian electoral authorities considered that Petro, his campaign manager Ricardo Roa, and other members of his team should be held accountable for the alleged violation of campaign financing rules, as the CNE suspects they exceeded spending limits and resorted to prohibited sources.

The Mexican progressive leader supported President Petro’s argument that the CNE investigation process was opened outside of Colombian constitution and law.

“So, our solidarity with President Petro. He is practically the only progressive president Colombia has had. We always stand by our support and solidarity. Our policy is to speak out whenever there is an injustice,” the Mexican president said.

On Wednesday, Petro claimed that CNE President Cesar Lorduy set a trap for him to be removed from office using false evidence. While the CNE does not have the authority to decide whether or not the Colombian president should leave office, that institution “opened the door by formulating charges in an unconstitutional manner. It is a prevarication that seeks to unleash a parliamentary coup,” Petro stated.

Approved with seven votes in favor and two against, the resolution of the Colombian CNE marks the first time an electoral tribunal in this South American country has formally opened an investigation into a presidential campaign for exceeding spending limits.