Deputy Foreign Minister Mnatsakan Safarian was the first to announce on Wednesday Armenia’s participation in the summit slated for October 22-24. Pashinian’s press secretary, Nazeli Baghdasarian, told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service that the country will be represented there by its premier.
Pashinian will fly to Kazan despite his administration’s heightened tensions with Moscow highlighted by a de facto suspension of Armenia’s membership in the Collective Security Organization (CSTO). Pashinian has boycotted CSTO summits and sought to reorient Armenian foreign policy towards the West over the past year.
The BRICS group, an acronym for Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, represents almost half the world's population, It was set up by the five nations in 2009 and has since expanded to include other major emerging economies such as the United Arab Emirates and Iran.
Azerbaijan has recently applied for membership in the group. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has yet to confirm his participation in the BRICS summit. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is also expected to attend it.