South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has held bilateral talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the XVI BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia.
The meeting, which took place during the expanded BRICS gathering, focused on strengthening political and economic relations between the two nations.
South Africa’s presidency said the discussions aligned with the country’s “national interests and foreign policy priorities”, though specific details of the talks were not disclosed.
The meeting comes at a time of significant global realignment within BRICS, which has expanded to include new members from the Global South.
BRICS, which originally comprised Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, has been seeking to position itself as an alternative to Western-dominated international forums.
The summit in Kazan marks the first major BRICS gathering since the group’s expansion, which saw several new nations join the bloc.
Tags: Cyril Ramaphosa, Masoud Pezeshkian, Vladimir Putin, BRICS Summit, South Africa foreign policy, Iran diplomacy, Russia international relations.
