Johannesburg: Saudi Arabia, Iran, Ethiopia, Egypt, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Argentina have been invited to join BRICS, a group of leaders of developing countries.
According to the foreign news agency “AFP”, the purpose of the expansion of the BRICS group is to create a stronger bloc in the “Global South” than Western countries. It should be noted that the current members of BRICS include Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. A possible enlargement would pave the way for many developing countries to join BRICS.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa tweeted an invitation to six countries to join the group on social media website X.
Leaders of the bloc’s five members have praised the decision to extend statements after the announcement. Addressing the summit in Johannesburg via video link, Russian President Vladimir Putin said his country intends to deepen ties with African countries.
Chinese President Xi Jinping said in Johannesburg that this reflects BRICS’ commitment to unity and cooperation.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “The expansion and modernization of BRICS is a message that all the institutions of the world need to adapt to the changing times.”
New members also welcomed the invitation. The Iranian official called the new membership a “historic move”. Mohammad Jamshidi, the Iranian president’s deputy chief of staff for political affairs, said on X that it was a “strategic victory for Iran’s foreign policy.”
New candidates will be formally admitted as members on January 1, 2024. Lula said that the promises of globalization have failed. He added that now was the time to restore cooperation with developing countries because “there is a threat of nuclear war”, a clear indication of rising tensions between Russia and the West over the Ukraine conflict.
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