Russia is allegedly opposed to the attendance of France at the upcoming BRICS summit, citing supposed “hostile” behavior.
Key Points
- Russia has opposed French President Macron from attending the BRICS summit due to alleged “hostile” actions.
- Russian officials expressed concerns, stating that leaders with “hostile and unacceptable” policies towards Russia are not welcome at BRICS.
- Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov conveyed to South African partners that it would be “inappropriate” for Macron to attend the summit.
In just a matter of months, the highly anticipated BRICS leaders’ summit is set to take place. Rumors have been circulating that French President Emmanuel Macron may be joining the esteemed group, but not everyone is thrilled about the idea. According to reports, Russia has expressed concerns about Macron’s attendance, deeming it “inappropriate.”
A top Russian official went so far as to state that leaders who pursue “hostile and unacceptable” policies towards their country have no place among the BRICS guests.
Russia finds France Inappropriate
During a press conference on Thursday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov was asked about the potential attendance of French President Emmanuel Macron at the upcoming BRICS leaders’ summit. The summit, which will take place from August 22 to 24 in Johannesburg, is being hosted by South Africa, the current holder of the BRICS presidency.
The BRICS alliance is made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. Ryabkov informed reporters that Russia has already expressed to its South African partners that it would be “inappropriate” for the French president to attend the summit.
In his statement, which was published by Tass, Ryabkov explained,
“We have sent a signal that, with all due respect to the prerogatives of the host [South Africa] to invite individual guests, it is necessary to proceed from the fact that BRICS is an alliance of countries that categorically rejects the use of unilateral sanctions for resolving foreign policy issues. Given this, the presence of Western officials would clearly be inappropriate there.”
Ryabkov further stated:
“Clearly, leaders of states that pursue such a hostile and unacceptable policy towards us, discussing with such emphasis and conviction that Russia should be isolated on the international stage, and share the common NATO line on inflicting a so-called strategic defeat on us — such a leader is an inappropriate BRICS guest.”
The Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, recently expressed his uncertainty regarding French President Emmanuel Macron’s attendance at the BRICS leaders’ summit.
According to Tass, Peskov stated, “Frankly speaking, we don’t know in what capacity or why. We don’t have such information at hand.”
On the other hand, French Foreign Affairs Minister Catherine Colonna shared that Macron would consider joining the summit if he receives a formal invitation. She emphasized that the decision to invite the French president should come from the BRICS and, more importantly, South Africa, as the host of the summit. As of now, it remains unclear whether Macron will attend the summit or not.
