St. Petersburg to host BRICS meeting on security in September - Patrushev

ST. PETERSBURG. April 25 (Interfax) - A summit of the BRICS association of countries in 2024 will include over 200 events, among them a meeting on security in St. Petersburg in September, Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev said at the 12th international conference of senior security officials.

"We're holding [BRICS] presidency this year. Over 200 events are planned, which our country will organize. This includes an event we'll hold in St. Petersburg in September under the [Russian] Security Council aegis and at the BRICS level," Patrushev said.

The Security Council office told journalists St. Petersburg should host two events, one in a new format involving representatives of ten countries and the other one to be attended by so-called friends of BRICS.

In addition, BRICS working groups on antiterrorism, on IT security, and on countering narcotic drugs plan to gather in the run up to the meeting.

The 12th international meeting of senior security officials is taking place in St. Petersburg on April 23-25.

Russia is holding BRICS presidency in 2024. Kazan should be the venue of a BRICS summit in October.

BRICS is currently comprised of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. A number of other countries have been invited to join the organization.