An
interdepartmental meeting was held in Moscow concerning preparations for the assembly
of the Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the BRICS Leaders’
Summit, which will be managed by Anton Kobyakov, Advisor to the President of
the Russian Federation and Deputy Chairman and Executive Secretary of the
Organizing Committee to prepare and support the Russian Federation’s presidency
of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in 2019–2020 and the BRICS Summit in
2020. The meeting was attended by departmental and agency representatives
involved in the preparation of the two events.
Anton
Kobyakov, Advisor to the President of the Russian Federation and Executive
Secretary of the Organizing Committee to prepare and support the Russian
Federation’s presidency of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in 2019–2020
and the BRICS Summit in 2020, noted, “The main purpose of the Shanghai
Cooperation Organization and BRICS is to strengthen the mutual trust as well as
the political and economic cooperation of the member countries. This year,
Russia has been given the important task of hosting and presiding over the
gathering of these organizations. To meet this responsibility, Russia is
relying on highly qualified professionals with extensive international
experience. I am confident that the systematic cooperation of the relevant departments
will ensure that these major international events will meet the highest
standards.”
At the
interdepartmental meeting in Moscow, participants outlined the preparedness of
St. Petersburg’s infrastructure, logistics and the transportation system, and
the accommodations of summit participants and official delegates. The outline
of the cultural programme was specifically discussed, with special
consideration given to participants’ spouses, venue design, souvenirs, media
support, and the organization of a summit exhibition showcasing various Russian
export-oriented products.
Special
attention was given to how Russia would prepare to host the summits of the
Shanghai Cooperation Organization and BRICS, which will be held in 13 Russia
regions.
Sergey
Ryabkov, Russia’s BRICS Sherpa and Deputy Foreign Minister said, “During Russia’s
presidency of the BRICS association, over 150 events. As of today, the
preparatory work of those responsible for each event is on schedule.”
A separate
topic of discussion was the informal meeting of BRICS leaders, which will be
held on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Saudi Arabia on 21 and 22 November
2020.
Following
the meeting, additional instructions were given, including new deadlines.
The
summits of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and BRICS will be held in St.
Petersburg on 21–23 July 2020.
