First meeting outside Moscow on Afghanistan and third BRICS summit in Russia: Tatarstan preparing for major political events
Tatarstan is preparing for two major political events at once — the meeting of the Moscow format of consultations on Afghanistan and the BRICS summit. For this purpose, republican organising committees have been created, which are headed by Prime Minister of Tatarstan Alexey Pesoshin and Rais of the Republic of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov. Read more about the format of their work and events in the material of Realnoe Vremya.
Consultations on Afghanistan will be held not in Moscow for the first time
The next, already fifth meeting of the Moscow format of consultations on Afghanistan are to be held in Kazan on September 29 at the suggestion of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia. The format was created in 2017 in order to promote the process of national reconciliation in Afghanistan. The participants, in addition to Russia, are Kazakhstan, Iran, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, India, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and China. Previously, the meetings were held only in Moscow.
It should be noted that last year the meeting was held without the participation of the interim government of the Taliban movement banned in Russia*. The Russian Foreign Ministry explained this by that the de facto Afghan authorities have not heeded the call to create a truly inclusive government.
The same topic will be the main one at the meeting in the capital of Tatarstan. As noted by Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for Afghanistan, Director of the Second Department of Asia of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Zamir Kabulov, progress in the issue of inclusiveness has not yet been observed. It is planned to discuss the fight against terrorism and drug crime. As of the end of July, representatives of the Taliban, as well as half of the participants, confirmed their participation in the meeting.
In connection with the meeting, an organising committee was formed in Tatarstan, which was headed by Prime Minister of the republic Alexey Pesoshin. Deputy Prime Minister — Head of the Cabinet of Ministers of Tatarstan Shamil Gafarov and Minister of Industry and Trade of Tatarstan Oleg Korobchenko are appointed deputy chairmen of the republican organising committee. Radik Vakhitov, the representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry in Kazan, has been appointed Secretary (by agreement). A total of 32 people entered it.
According to the decree of the rais of Tatarstan, Rustam Minnikhanov, the organising committee was instructed to develop and approve an action plan for the preparation and holding of the meeting.
Russia is going to host the BRICS summit for the third time
Another major event in Kazan will be the BRICS summit, an association of five countries — Russia, China, South Africa, Brazil and India. It will be the 16th in a row — such a meeting at the level of heads of state has been held annually since 2009.
Here are the places of its holding:
- Brazil — Brasilia in 2010, 2014 (together with Fortaleza), 2019;
- India — New Delhi in 2012 and 2021, Goa in 2016;
- Russia — Yekaterinburg in 2009 and Ufa in 2015;
- China — Sanya in 2011, Ximen in 2017, Beijing in 2022;
- Republic of South Africa — Durban in 2013, Johannesburg in 2018, and also in 2023.
It is worth noting that St. Petersburg was supposed to host the summit in 2020, but due to the coronavirus pandemic, the meeting was held via video link. Since that year, Russian President Vladimir Putin has participated in the summit only remotely — the meeting in South Africa will not be an exception.
The decree on holding the BRICS summit in Kazan in 2024 was signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in April 2023. According to the document, Assistant to the President of the Russian Federation Yury Ushakov is appointed chairman of the organisational committee at the federal level. The Organising Committee will have to present an agreed concept of the Russian Federation's chairmanship in the association.
The Republican Committee is headed by Rustam Minnikhanov, Alexey Pesoshin, head of the administration of the rais of the republic Asgat Safarov, as well as Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin are appointed as deputies (by agreement). The assistant of the rais of the region, Gazinur Bakirov, is designated as the secretary. In total, 42 people are included in the republican organising committee — the heads of ministries and departments of Tatarstan among them.
Meetings of the organising committee are planned to be held as necessary, but at least once a quarter. They will be considered eligible if more than half of its members are present at them.
Besides, Minnikhanov instructed the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Tatarstan to create an operational headquarters and working groups on certain areas of preparation and holding of events to be held in Kazan as part of Russia's BRICS presidency.