Amid an international arrest warrant hanging over him, Russian President Vladimir Putin defies odds with an invitation to an August summit of emerging economies in South Africa.
All five heads of state of the BRICS – which stands for Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – have received an invitation to a planned summit from Aug. 22 to 24 in Johannesburg, South Africa's Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor said at a meeting of BRICS foreign ministers on Thursday.
The summit is particularly politically charged this year: In March, the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague issued an arrest warrant for Putin.
South Africa, which is a signatory to the ICC statutes, would be obliged to arrest the Russian president upon entry into South Africa. So far, South Africa has not made its position clear on the procedure should Putin actually attend in person.
South Africa had already come under criticism in 2015 when it refused to arrest then-Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir and extradite him to the ICC.
At the preparatory talks in Cape Town on Thursday, the foreign ministers of the emerging economies wanted to discuss better cooperation among themselves and with the G-20.
High on the list at the ministerial meeting is also whether countries like Saudi Arabia, Egypt and 17 others that have applied to join BRICS should be admitted.
In addition, the ministers wanted to discuss issues such as poverty and global inequality.
Decisions, however, will only be taken during the summit.
