UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has arrived in Russia’s Kazan to participate in the BRICS Summit, the parliament of the Republic of Tatarstan said on Wednesday.
"United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres has arrived in Kazan to participate in the BRICS Summit. Mr. Guterres was met by Tatarstan State Council Chairman Farid Mukhametshin at the Kazan International Airport," the parliament said.
On Monday, the press service of the Russian president said that President Vladimir Putin and Guterres would discuss the work of the United Nations, the Middle East crisis, and the situation around Ukraine during talks in Kazan.
UN Chief to Raise Gaza Conflict at BRICS Summit in Kazan
Guterres also plans to meet one-on-one with BRICS leaders on the sidelines of the Summit to discuss the conflict in the Gaza Strip, among other issues, his spokesperson said on Tuesday.
When asked by reporters whether Guterres was planning to discuss the crisis in Gaza with the leaders of the BRICS group of emerging economies, Farhan Haq said he would "certainly" do it.
Haq did not specify whom Guterres was going to meet, noting only that he would hold "a number of bilateral meetings with the leaders attending the summit."
BRICS is an intergovernmental association created in 2006. Russia assumed the rotating presidency of the bloc on January 1, 2024. The year began with the accession of new members to the association. In addition to Russia, Brazil, India, China and South Africa, it now includes Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia, according to the website of the Russian 2024 BRICS Chairmanship. Media reports said that Saudi Arabia has not formalized its participation yet but has been taking part in BRICS meetings.