BRICS top diplomats to convene in Rio as Brazil takes energetic lead on global agenda

Russia’s Ambassador to Brazil, Alexey Labetsky, has confirmed that the foreign ministers of BRICS member states will gather in Rio de Janeiro on April 28–29 for a key diplomatic summit, with Russia already deeply engaged in preparations. The meeting is part of a broader push by Brazil to inject new energy into its BRICS presidency.

“We are actively preparing for the Council of Foreign Ministers, which will take place April 28–29 in Rio de Janeiro,” Labetsky told Russian media, per Caliber.Az.

He added that attention is also focused on the upcoming April 30 meeting of high-level security officials in Brasília. “So we can confidently state that the BRICS agenda is packed and moving forward energetically under Brazil’s leadership.”

While the main ministerial events are set for Rio, Brazil’s capital is humming with parallel meetings at the expert level. “Working sessions are being held on issues such as environmental protection and artificial intelligence. Brazil has centralized most of the expert consultations in Brasília, which is convenient for diplomats,” the ambassador explained. “Only the ministers’ meeting and the July summit will be held in Rio.”

Labetsky praised Brazil’s active role at the helm of BRICS, saying it is building on the momentum from Russia’s own presidency. “We see that they want to continue the dynamic course that was set during Russia’s leadership and enshrined in the Kazan Declaration, along with the initiatives we’ve been pushing. In the expanded BRICS group, Brazil’s priorities closely mirror our own: healthcare, artificial intelligence, climate change, and finance,” he said.

He also emphasized that institutional development within BRICS has become a key issue following the group’s expansion. “With the inclusion of new members, it’s crucial to fine-tune cooperation mechanisms and strengthen BRICS as a format.”

Since Indonesia officially joined the bloc in January as a full member, Brazil has hosted a series of high-level diplomatic meetings to build consensus. “On February 25–26, Brasília held the first meeting of the BRICS sherpas and sous-sherpas. Then in March, we had productive consultations between directors of foreign policy planning from the member states,” Labetsky noted.

He added that March also saw “traditional consultations between BRICS deputy foreign ministers on the Middle East and North Africa,” with the Russian delegation led by Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov.

By Tamilla Hasanova