Rio de janeiro: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has arrived in Brazil to participate in the BRICS economic bloc summit, of which Russia is a founding member. The summit is set to take place in Rio de Janeiro, marking its 17th edition under the theme 'Strengthening Global South Cooperation for More Inclusive and Sustainable Governance.'

According to Anadolu Agency, Lavrov's arrival was reported by Russian state news agency RIA. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov had confirmed Russia's participation in the summit as early as late June. On Friday, Peskov announced that Lavrov would lead Russia's delegation. President Vladimir Putin is also expected to participate in the summit's main plenary session via videoconference on Sunday.

The two-day summit begins on Sunday. BRICS is an acronym for the bloc's original five members: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. Since last year, the bloc has expanded to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Indonesia as full members.

In a press briefing on Wednesday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova noted that the summit will review the bloc's work since the beginning of the year and address current issues on both global and regional agendas.