Iranian president arrives in Pretoria to attend BRICS summit

The Iranian president is visiting Pretoria at the invitation of his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa.

Before leaving Tehran, Raeisi has said that BRICS is a new emerging power in the world that has managed to bring together independent countries that pursue the joint purpose of economic cooperation and confronting unilateralism.

The president is scheduled to deliver a speech at the BRICS Plus summit which brings together leaders from 70 countries. He is also set to meet with some of the officials attending the summit.

BRICS is made up of India, Russia, China, Brazil and South Africa. Heads of states of the group held their 15th annual summit in Johannesburg earlier on Wednesday, agreeing on mechanisms for considering new members and calling for the use of local currencies to facilitate trade.

Iran is among more than a dozen countries that seek membership in the bloc and has submitted a formal application to join the body. The Islamic Republic has described its objectives as in alignment with those of the BRICS countries.