The preparatory meetings of the upcoming BRICS summit in Russia will be held over video link, Moscow’s Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov informed Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Thursday during a telephone conversation. Both officials also discussed necessary measures to address the needs to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Referring to Russian chairmanship of BRICS and SCO, DFM Morgulov informed the Foreign Secretary of various preparatory meetings which would continue to take place through videoconferencing in the coming days,” said a source aware of the exchanges between the two high officials.
Evacuation of citizens
Russia has evacuated around 1,000 citizens from India in the last few weeks after India imposed the nationwide lockdown to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. However, around 20,000 Russians remain in India and authorities are in touch to ensure their well being during the lockdown which is expected to be extended. Russia too continues to host a significant number of Indians who are unable to travel home because of the cancellation of international flights.
The 2020 BRICS summit is scheduled to be held in St. Petersburg later this year. However the final details of the summit are expected to be clear after the current phase of pandemic.
