MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

July 7 becomes holiday in Rio due to BRICS event

Dignitaries from 20 countries will convene in the former Brazilian capital

The city of Rio de Janeiro has declared July 7 (Monday) a municipal holiday due to the BRICS Summit, which will host leaders from over 20 countries. Additionally, July 4 (Friday) has been marked as an optional workday for public offices because of related events. Although the summit formally begins on July 6, key encounters among central bank heads and finance ministers will already be taking place on July 4 and 5.

Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes enacted the measure approved by the City Council that establishes July 7 (Monday) as a municipal holiday.

BRICS is an acronym made up of the initial letters of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. The bloc also includes Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Iran as full members, with Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Malaysia, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam as associates. Representatives of all these nations will convene in Rio.

The meetings of central bank presidents and finance ministers will take place at a hotel on Avenida Atlântica, in Copacabana, and the summit will be held at the Museum of Modern Art (MAM), in Flamengo Park. (Source: Agencia Brasil)