Leaders of the five countries composing BRICS kicked off a summit meeting at the Ceara Convention Center in Fortaleza, Brazil Tuesday, confident that they would agree on cooperating on a long-term basis to achieve what the summit's theme represents - sustainable solutions for inclusive growth.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to deliver a message during the summit, as are the other leaders of BRICS countries - host Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South African President Jacob Zuma.

President Xi had conferred with each of the other national leaders before the start of the summit, and had pitched for expanding the influence of developing countries in international affairs.

BRICS leaders are also scheduled to meet representatives of the BRICS Business Council and later issue a Fortaleza declaration.

Among the major points of interest in the summit is the proposal to set up a BRICS development bank that will be equivalent to the World Bank.

Senior officials from the five member-countries have indicated that the new bank's headquarters can be located in Shanghai, although there has been no definite declaration from the heads of state on any final agreement.

BRICS leaders will meet leaders of the Union of South American Nations Wednesday in Brasilia.

The five BRICS countries occupy more than a quarter of the world's mass and almost half of the world's population.

The World Trade Organization reports that exports from BRICS economies increased fivefold between 2001 and 2011, which makes up for more than double the world average.

TagsFortaleza, Brasilia, BRICS