Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas announced that Palestine is seeking an invitation to the upcoming BRICS summit in Russia in the “outreach” format. The announcement came after Abbas met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

The two leaders discussed bilateral ties, with Abbas stressing that all BRICS member states – Brazil, India, China, Russia and South Africa, along with new members Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates – have friendly relations with Palestine. “It will all be as relevant as possible, given that the countries of this association are all friendly to Palestine,” Abbas stated.

Abbas proposed organizing a specific meeting format focusing exclusively on Palestine, so that members can express their views on regional developments. Russia took over the BRICS chairmanship on January 1, 2024, and the main summit will be held in Kazan in October 2024.

BRICS, originally established in 2006, has expanded in two phases, with South Africa joining in 2011 and five new members – Egypt, Iran, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Ethiopia – joining on January 1, 2024. Abbas confirmed that he and Putin discussed all matters of concern, noting that their conversation lasted nearly two hours.

In a related development, Abbas spoke about the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and possible Iranian retaliation against Israel. He stated that while the timing of Iran’s response remains uncertain, he hopes the situation does not escalate further.

Tensions in West Asia have been high since October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israeli settlements from Gaza, resulting in deaths and hostages. Israel then launched a military operation in Gaza. The killing of Ismail Haniyeh and the assassination of Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr have increased the threat of retaliation by Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah against Israel.

(With input from agencies.)