Russia: Ufa summit aimed at boosting BRICS' econ. development - Putin

Russia is working to ensure the BRICS summit in Ufa is "beneficial to the development of our economies and to our citizens," President Vladimir Putin said at the seventh BRICS summit in Ufa, Thursday. "The success of the summit is of great importance for Russia," he added. Later the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa are expected to discuss further cooperation between the countries of the bloc, particularly within the context of the newly-formed New Development Bank (NDB). The BRICS summit comes ahead of the 15th meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) on July 9 and 10, also taking place in Ufa. In total, 10,000 visitors are expected at the two events.