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SANDTON SUMMIT

Six new countries invited to join BRICS — See our interactive world map

Interest in joining BRICS has soared in recent years, with over 20 nations having formally applied to be part of the bloc. Several other countries including Comoros, Gabon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have informally shown an interest in doing so.
Six new countries invited to join BRICS — See our interactive world map Country flags including Brazil, India, China, Russia and South Africa. (Images: Wikimedia)
Victoria O’Regan
By Victoria O’Regan
22 Aug 2023
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BRICS leaders invited oil giant Saudi Arabia and five other countries to join their bloc in a push to expand its global influence.

Others that have been invited include Iran, Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates. Their membership will take full effect from 1 January 2024.

The expansion of BRICS was expected to be high on the agenda when leaders met at the summit in Johannesburg. South Africa proposed expanding the membership of BRICS in 2018, but other members — notably Russia and China — were reluctant at the time. The leaders decided instead to consolidate and shelve discussions about expansion. A major decision of the 2022 BRICS Summit was to begin the process of expanding the membership of the bloc.

However, the expansion of the bloc has emerged as a prickly issue among the five leaders, who are not in agreement about the merits of expanding membership, let alone the criteria for accepting applicants.

Read more in Daily Maverick: BRICS countries show signs of division over potential for expanding membership

Official sources have told Daily Maverick that China and Russia — BRICS’s two autocratic members — were pushing to expand membership, while democratic Brazil and India were wary, and South Africa was on the fence. Russia’s strong impetus for expansion is believed to be driven largely by its isolation from the West because of its invasion of Ukraine, while China is seeking to boost its geopolitical clout amid increasing US-China tensions over Taiwan.

BRICS officials and foreign ministers had been working on the criteria for membership, South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Naledi Pandor, said before the summit.

Pandor had earlier announced that 23 nations have formally applied to be part of the bloc. The Moroccan government has since denied applying for membership and is not attending the BRICS-Africa outreach meeting at the summit.

An official told Daily Maverick that Morocco had inquired about the criteria and procedures for joining BRICS. It appears this might have been interpreted by Pretoria as an application to join. Morocco seems particularly concerned about the possibility that Iran and Venezuela might join BRICS.

Comments

Brent Hudson Aug 23, 2023, 08:29 AM

In principle the idea of a new block of co-operative trading and/or currency by a collaborating group of countries can only soften the perception of a western hegemony that could be perceived as having less altruistic intentions than what meets the eye. However the fact remains that many of the countries applying for BRICS and one or two current members have a less than ideal human rights track record. How can this be acceptable to other nations that have solid constitutions with human rights solidly built into their laws? I think before any new members are admitted, current members should clean their own houses and then list fundamental requirements of new members that ensure they are ratifying and applying these rights to their citizens and neighbours.

Qondile Aug 23, 2023, 11:30 PM

Most people in the developing world want economic success over the so called "human rights " that are guaranteed to all but only accessible to the wealthy and rich. America and South Africa have both failed to ensure human rights for all. In America they have gerrymandering which tends to exclude certain population from voting. The existance of the electoral college defeats the purpose of voting and the idea of human rights/ right to vote. In RSA we have the right to fair trial but our people spend two months in jail before they can appear in court for the first time. America claims that Russia invaded a nation with out any reason or provocation but they hide the fact that their NATO expansion is the real reason for war in Ukrain, such Nato expansion is violation of a treaty they signed and agreed to while at the same time sponsoring Saudi Arabia in invading Yemen. A free country that has not provoked or threatened any western nations interest, meaning an unjust war against a defenceless people. They guarantee rights to religion but not if that religion is islam or Muslim religion, then they are just a gang of terrorists. Torture is a crime against humanity, unless you do it in guantanamo bay. The hypocrisy of Western countries is too much. Democracy is in decline simply due to cheap tricks and underhanded laws that usually accompany most constitutions. At least these autocrats are honest about it and they dont give you fake sense of democracy as if your views matter.

Christian Pirk Aug 23, 2023, 01:49 PM

I thought Morocco made it clear that they haven't applied.