On invitation of President Cyril Ramaphosa of the Republic of South Africa, President Isaias Afwerki arrived in Johannesburg, South Africa, in early afternoon hours today to attend the BRICS-Africa Outreach and BRICS Plus Dialogues which will be convened as part of BRICS Summit on 24 August in Johannesburg.

Upon arrival at the O.R. Tambo International Airport, President Isaias was accorded warm welcome by Dr. Joe Phaahla, Minister of Health of South Africa along with other senior Government officials.

At the sideline of the summit, President Isaias will meet and hold talks with various Government and State leaders.

The presidential delegation includes Mr. Osman Saleh, Minister of Foreign Affairs.

BRICS comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa and currently over 20 countries have formally applied to join the alliance.

The summit is expected to focus on among others sustainable development and inclusion of the global South in multilateral systems and a number of countries have been invited to attend.