Leaders of 24 countries to attend BRICS summit in Kazan, 32 countries confirm participation - Russian presidential aide

MOSCOW. Oct 10 (Interfax) - More than 30 countries have confirmed their participation in the BRICS summit, of which 24 will be represented at the level of heads of state, Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov said.

"Invitations to the summit have been sent to 38 states: these are members and those countries that want to work with our organization. Thirty-two countries have already confirmed their participation," he told reporters.

"Of these 32, 24 countries have confirmed participation of their leaders in the summit in Kazan, eight countries, as of today, will be represented at the level of the second or third person of the state," Ushakov said.

"There is still time left, and we hope that more states will attend," he said.

Ushakov said that all BRICS member states except Saudi Arabia will be represented at the level of first persons, and Riyadh will be represented in Kazan by the foreign minister.

"We as the host, naturally, invited the leaders of our closest neighbors, the leaders of the CIS states, to attend, and they have all confirmed their attendance. We also invited those states that now chair influential regional associations in Africa, in Latin America, in the Middle East and in Southeast Asia," he said.

The secretary generals of the United Nations, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), the Union State of Russia and Belarus, and the president of the New Development Bank will also attend the summit, Ushakov said.

"In my view, it may become the largest foreign policy event ever held in our country," he said.