Putin begins marathon of bilateral meetings in Ufa

Russian President Vladimir Putin will begin on Wednesday a "marathon" of bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the summits of the BRICS group (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). According to presidential aide Yury Ushakov, the Russian leader is to hold 11 bilateral meetings and one tripartite meeting (Russia-Mongolia-China), in addition to the events of the summits.
On Wednesday, the Russian president is due to hold five bilateral meetings: with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, South African President Jacob Zuma, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and Tajik President Emomali Rahmon.

In the afternoon on July 9, Putin will meet with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev and President of Brazil Dilma Rouseff. Aside from that, a tripartite meeting between Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping and Mongolian President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj will take place.

The bilateral meetings with Presidents of Afghanistan and Uzbekistan Ashraf Ghani and Islam Karimov and with Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif are scheduled for July 10.
Speaking about the documents that are expected to be signed, the Russian presidential aide mentioned the Ufa Declaration and the Action Plan. Ushakov earlier said that the draft declarations of the BRICS and SCO summits called for the full implementation of all provisions of the Minsk agreements.

"The issue is reflected in the Ufa declarations to be adopted at the summits. They include three main points," Ushakov said. The first point is that these countries "see no military solution to the Ukrainian crisis", the second focusses on the need of diplomatic talks. "These countries demand that the parties to the conflict fully implement the 13 points of the comprehensive plan endorsed in Minsk on February 12," the Russian presidential aide added.
BRICS Business Council to discuss proposals for leaders in Ufa

The Business Council of the BRICS group will discuss the proposals of the business circles for the leaders of the group’s member-countries on organizing the interaction with the national development institutions and the New Development Bank established in Moscow during the meeting of the BRICS Finance Ministers and heads of central banks.
BRICS, an information association of five countries - Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, was founded in June 2006 within the framework of the St.Petersburg International Economic Forum. South Africa joined the group in 2009. Russia holds the BRICS chairmanship in 2015 and chairs the BRICS Business Council between April 2015 and April 2016.

Russia is represented in the BRICS Business Council by President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Sergey Katyrin. Among the council’s members are also head of the Russian Railways corporation Vladimir Yakunin, head of the VEB Development Bank Vladimir Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund Vladimir Dmitriev and CEO of Rostec Corporation Sergey Chemezov.

Members of the Business Council will present their proposals to the heads of state of the BRICS member-countries during a meeting on July 9.