Lula cancels BRICS trip to Russia following domestic accident
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has canceled his trip to Kazan, Russia, for the 16th BRICS summit after suffering a fall on Saturday (Oct. 19), during which he hit his head and required five stitches. According to the medical bulletin, the injury was not serious. The president sustained a "blunt injury to the occipital region" and, following medical advice, has been instructed to “avoid long-distance air travel while being cleared to continue with his other duties.”
He was scheduled to depart for Russia on Sunday (20), but will now participate via videoconference, according to a statement from the Planalto presidential palace.
BRICS
This summit marks the first meeting of the BRICS bloc since the inclusion of new member countries: Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iran, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates. The summit will take place from October 22 to 24.
Ambassador Eduardo Paes Saboia, secretary for Asia and the Pacific at Brazil's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that while no specific agenda is set, the main focus of the meeting will likely be creating a membership model for "partner countries" in BRICS. This category would grant participation rights, though not the same privileges as full members.
"That's what we're working on this semester—defining the criteria for this category. There is an expectation that once it's approved, an announcement will be made regarding which countries will be invited to join," Saboia noted.
Other key topics on the meeting's agenda include the ongoing crisis in the Middle East and a review of the New Development Bank (NDB) reports, currently led by former Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff.
