Brics confirms the entry of 6 countries, Argentina among them after Lula’s campaign

The number of countries that make up the Brics group – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – will double from 2024 with the entry of six more countries, as announced by the president of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, at the this Thursday morning (24) in Johannesburg. The officialization of the group’s expansion took place on the last day of the XV BRICS Summit, held since Tuesday (22).

Argentina – which President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) ran a strong campaign for –, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Iran and Ethiopia join the group.

With this addition, the Brics will now have 11 members, consolidating its presence in the Middle East and strengthening its representation in Africa and Latin America.

Lula emphasized that the expansion results in a combined share of 35% of global GDP in terms of purchasing power parity and covers 46% of the world’s population. He pointed out that the block will remain open to future expansions.

“Our diversity strengthens the fight for a new order that accommodates the economic, geographic and political plurality of the 21st century. In this world in transition, the BRICS offer us a source of creative solutions to the challenges we face. The relevance of the BRICS is confirmed by the growing interest that other countries show in joining the group”, he said during the speech.

The new configuration was the outcome of intense negotiations during the summit in Johannesburg, in which leaders such as Xi Jinping (China), Narendra Modi (India) and Ramaphosa were present. Russian President Vladimir Putin attended virtually, due to an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court related to alleged war crimes in Ukraine.

China played a key role in opening up the BRICS to practically all countries interested in joining, with the support of Russia and South Africa. Brazil and India, in turn, defended controlled growth, with well-defined selection criteria.

“BRICS will remain open to new candidates and, for that, we also approved criteria and procedures for future adhesions”, stated Lula.

The expansion also involved diplomatic efforts by Brazil to gain Chinese support for UN Security Council reform. In the final text of the summit, the Brics countries expressed support for a reform of the UN, including the Security Council, with the aim of making it more democratic and representative.

“We support a comprehensive reform of the UN, including its Security Council, with a view to making it more democratic, representative, effective and efficient, and to increase the representation of developing countries on the Council’s membership so that it can respond adequately to global challenges. and support the legitimate aspirations of emerging and developing countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America, including Brazil, India and South Africa, to play a greater role in international affairs, in particular at the United Nations, including the its Security Council,” said the Johannesburg Declaration signed by the participating countries.

Although the addition of new members was desired by China, the entry of Iran enhances the anti-American dimension of the group. Chinese and Russian support also favored the entry of Saudi Arabia and Argentina, while Brazil, India and South Africa made progress in the negotiations, seeking more substantial recognition in international affairs.

“Finally, I dedicate a special message to dear Alberto Fernández, President of Argentina and a great friend of Brazil and the developing world. We will continue advancing side by side with our Argentine brothers in yet another international forum”, concluded Lula.

It was also defined that a working group will be created to move forward in the de-dollarization of foreign trade negotiations between countries and the adoption of reference currencies for transactions. This is a claim that Lula has been reaffirming at each meeting since the beginning of the year.

This Thursday (24th), Lula will have two bilateral meetings with the prime minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, and with the president of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi. In the beginning of the afternoon, the president leaves for Luanda.