Johannesburg - South Africa is on track to host the next
summit of the Brics emerging market grouping, Deputy International Relations
Minister Ebrahim Ebrahim said on Tuesday.
"Our logistics team has already started with
preparations at an early stage and are well advanced for hosting the summit and
its side events," he said in a statement.
South Africa will host the fifth Brics (Brazil, Russia,
India, China and South Africa) summit in Durban on March 27 next year.
Last month, Cabinet agreed on structures to oversee
preparations for the summit.
These included the Brics inter-ministerial committee made up
of 15 Cabinet ministers and KwaZulu-Natal premier Zweli Mkhize.
This committee
should provide policy guidance and recommendations to Cabinet to ensure the
successful hosting of the event, Ebrahim said.
Brics trade ministers and the Brics business forum would
meet the day before the summit.
The Development Bank of SA would host its partners in the
Brics inter-bank co-operation mechanism for their annual forum meeting the day
before.
"Other events prior to the summit include a meeting of
the Brics think tank/academic forum and preparatory meetings of senior
officials," Ebrahim said.
South Africa became a member of the Brics forum at its
second summit in Brazil in April 2010.
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