BRICS: Argentina and Saudi Arabia want to join the club of emerging “powers”

Twenty-two countries submitted their candidature to join the group of BRICS and others showed an interest in joining, he said on Thursday South Africawhich will host the next summit of the five rising powers.

The BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa), seeking to gain more weight in international institutions, assured that they were open to a possible expansion of the group.

“Twenty-two countries formally approached the BRICS countries to become members of the group, and there is the same number of countries that, informally, have applied to also become a member of the BRICS”declared the South African ambassador for Asia and the BRICS, Anil Sooklal.

He quoted Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Bangladesh among the countries that have shown interest.

The growing interest in joining the BRICS “It is not new”but underlines the “trust” at work that “defended” the group since its inception, he added during a press conference in Johannesburg.

The group of five emerging powers, formally created in 2009, represents 23% of world GDP and 42% of the world population.

Their next summit will take place from August 22-24 in South Africa. 69 countries were invited, including all African nations.

“The BRICS are not only the engine of the world force to try to change the dividing lines in terms of world politics, but they are also changing what happens in the world economic space,” Sooklal stated.

“The current world architecture continues to be unequal, it continues to marginalize developing countries (…) and it continues to be dominated by some hegemons, we don’t want that kind of world. We want a world where our voice is heard.”

Source: AFP