"On July 20, the Russian foreign minister took part in an extraordinary meeting of the BRICS foreign ministers via video-conference. They discussed topical issues related to preparations for the XV BRICS Summit to be held in [the South African city of] Johannesburg from August 22-24," the ministry said in a statement.
The top diplomats also exchanged views on developing and strengthening the strategic partnership among members of the organization, as well as discussed plans for the institutional development of the association, the statement read.
On Wednesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Sputnik that Russian President Vladimir Putin had decided to participate in the BRICS summit via video-conference format, and Lavrov will also be present at the event.
BRICS unites the world's largest developing economies — Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. A number of other countries intend to join the economic bloc, including Algeria, Argentina, Egypt, Iran, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, the United Arab Emirates and others. South Africa, which assumed the rotating BRICS presidency in January, will host the 15th BRICS summit from August 22-24.