It would not be an exaggeration to say that the 15th BRICS Summit, which concluded today in Johannesburg, South Africa, was a historic event and a geopolitical milestone, which is bound to have a deep impact in the years to come.
There was drama and mystery even before the summit, such as whether French President Macron was keen on an invitation and was declined, or the realization that Putin would not be there in person because of an ICC arrest warrant.
Add to this the successful Indian space mission, which sent a spacecraft to the surface of the Moon, and the shock of Wagner PMC’s death in the Prigozhin plane crash, and you have what history is made of.
Read more about the summit here:
As expected, the case for an expansion of the club sponsored by China and Russia prevailed in the end – and six new members will be added in January 2024.
reuters informed of:
The BRICS grouping of developing countries agreed on Thursday to admit Saudi Arabia, Iran, Ethiopia, Egypt, Argentina and the United Arab Emirates, aiming to intensify its effort to overhaul a world order it sees as antiquated. .
The group’s leaders left the door open for future expansion, potentially paving the way for the entry of dozens of other countries, motivated by a desire to level a global playing field they see as rigged against them .
The newcomers have joined founding members China, Brazil, Russia, India and South Africa, adding geopolitical influence to the grouping.
“This membership expansion is historic”, said Chinese President Xi Jinping, the most staunch supporter of the bloc’s expansion. ‘It shows the determination of the BRICS countries for unity and cooperation with the wider developing countries.’
Oil producers Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are moving away from America’s orbit, with ambitions to become global powers in their own right.
Cyril Ramaphosa, South African President:
“BRICS begins a new chapter in its endeavor to build a world that is fair, a world that is just, a world that is inclusive and prosperous. […] We have a consensus on the first phase of this expansion process and other phases will follow.
Russian President, Vladimir Putin, said via video link that the BRICS club is ‘not competing with anyone’, but added that ‘it is also clear that there are still fierce challenges ahead in this process of the emergence of a new world order’. There are rivals.
Watch Putin on BRICS:
While some BRICS members are solely focused on promoting the creation of a ‘multipolar global order’, both Brazil and India are also building closer ties with the West, a move they see as complementary to BRICS. Are.
Watch Modi’s talk about BRICS expansion:
Guardian informed of:
the decision to accept IranChina, also seeking a way to avoid sanctions, represents a victory for Putin and Xi, helping to give the group a more anti-Western, anti-democratic complexion. They dominated the more cautious approach of the other members, who preferred to portray the group as non-aligned.
[…] About two dozen countries formally applied to join the group, but inclusion of candidate countries had to be agreed upon by consensus among its current five members.
This expansion is significant because, with new members – especially major oil-producing members – BRICS represents a much larger share of the global economy and global population.
Read more about BRICS Summit Day 1:
Read more about BRICS Summit Day 2: