Putin arrives in Australia for G20 summit

Photo: AP photo

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Brisbane, Australia, where he will participate in BRICS  and G20 summits. Putin will also hold meetings with European leaders.

The main objective of the meeting of leaders of the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa), on the threshold of G20, is to coordinate positions on the main issues of the G20 agenda, presidential aide Yury Ushakov told Interfax.

In particular, he said, officials will discuss the implementation of the decision to launch the new BRICS Development Bank, as well as the pool of conventional foreign exchange reserves with a total volume of 200 billion dollars.

The program of the G20 summit will start in the morning on November 15, when world leaders discuss the current situation in the world economy, risks, threats and opportunities to overcome them.

In the middle of the day, the official opening of the summit will take place. The first work session "Global economy: strengthening growth and job creation" will take place after the ceremony. In the evening, the leaders will gather for a work dinner, in  the course of which they will discuss the deepening of international trade and economic integration, as well as the future of the WTO.

On November 16, the second and third work sessions of the summit will take place. The sessions will be dedicated to sustainability of global economy and energy. During the work dinner, the leaders will discuss efforts of the G20 to combat Ebola virus.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is to hold two bilateral meetings: with French President Francois Hollande and British Prime Minister David Cameron. Shorter meetings with other leaders, including US President Barack Obama, are also possible.