Agro Perspectiva

BRICS leaders to adopt eThekwini Roadmap at SA summit

26.03.2013 10:56 "Agro Perspectiva" (Kyiv) — Russian President Vladimir Putin today is due to hold a pourparler with his South African counterpart, Jacob Zuma, ahead of a broader meeting later on Tuesday. The high-profile talks will be followed by signing a package of bilateral agreements and a press conference, Voice of Russia reports referring to Interfax. In the wake of the today’s summit BRICS leaders are expected to adopt the so-called eThekwini Declaration. It will be a summary of the BRICS countries’ common stance in key issues of global politics and economy. Also BRICS plans to create a Business Council, a body which will manage the countries’ investment projects. Today the main talks will be held with Putin’s counterpart Jacob Zuma. Vladimir Putin has already arrived here in Durban and the talks will start approximately in 2 hours and there is a very significant agenda. The talks are expected to result in signing of 13 agreements on cooperation in such fields like energy and mining industry, space exploration, and more and more. The landmark document the two leaders are going to sign is called a Joint Declaration on Strategic Partnership between Russia and South Africa. Here, on these talks the Russian delegation will be represented by our Trade and Development Minister Andrey Belousov and Energy Industry Minister Alexander Novak, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov. So, you can see that the talks will be really significant and they will cover these very significant fields. Talking about this eThekwini Declaration, it is a roadmap. It was named after the South African part that the summit host-city Durban is located in. We still don’t know the details of this declaration, they will tell the details later, but it was announced that this declaration will give BRICS attitude to the current global politics and economics, as well as an insight into most urgent issues of multilateral cooperation. And it will just detail the agenda of BRICS for the next year and outline the new opportunities for partnership between the countries of Brazil, India, South Africa, Russia and China. In the wake of the summit, BRICS leaders are expected to adopt the so-called eThekwini Declaration and the eThekwini Roadmap, named after the South African municipality the summit’s host city of Durban is located in. «The declaration will give BRICS’ attitude to the current global politics and economics, as well as an insight into most urgent issues of multilateral cooperation,» Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov has said. «The roadmap will go into detail on BRICS’ agenda for the next year and outline new opportunities for bilateral partnership,» he added. President Zuma is expected to give an opening concert to honour Vladimir Putin and other BRICS leaders, ahead of a dinner party on the same night. On Tuesday, President Putin is also due to hold bilateral talks with India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The summit will reach its climax on Wednesday, crowned by major talks that are titled «BRICS and Africa: Partnership for Development, Integration and Industrialization». The heads of five BRICS member states will attend two plenary sessions to then be joined by delegates of several African nations for an AFRICA-BRICS leaders’ forum. Further on the agenda is a business breakfast that will bring together heads of BRICS nations and their business elite. President Putin is also set to meet with Egyptian President Muhammed Mursi. «We have been contacted over more appointments. We’ll try to settle it all on the go, so more meetings are not ruled out, including those with the Mozambique and Ethiopia leaders,» Putin’s aide said.