BRICS 2023 summit: UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on 24 August said his country looks forward to working with BRICS for the benefit of all.
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, he wrote, “We respect the vision of the BRICS leadership and appreciate the inclusion of the UAE as a member to this important group. We look forward to a continued commitment of cooperation for the prosperity, dignity and benefit of all nations and people around the world.”
Apart from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, six more countries become members of the BRICS. The new members include Argentina, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia and Egypt. The six countries were invited to join BRICS at a time when geopolitical polarisation is spurring efforts to forge it into a viable counterweight to the West.
PM Modi also said that India welcomes Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and UAE into the BRICS family.
“On the occasion of the 15th anniversary of BRICS, we have taken the decision to expand this forum. India has always fully supported this expansion. Such an expansion will make BRICS stronger and more effective. In that spirit, India welcomes Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and UAE into the BRICS family,” wrote PM Modi on X.
Meanwhile, the new membership will be effective from January 1, 2024.
Leaders from BRICS supported the expansion of the grouping, the first such expansion since 2010 when South Africa was inducted into the group. With this expansion, six of the world’s nine largest oil producers are now part of BRICS. This move holds the potential to open the doors for numerous interested countries to align with a coalition committed to championing the interests of the “Global South”.
Meanwhile, earlier in 2023, Pakistan, along with other countries like Argentina, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia, had expressed their interest in joining BRICS. The proposition encountered resistance from India, which firmly opposes broadening the BRICS membership, fearing it could dilute the alliance’s core objectives and consensus built among its existing members. India has consistently opposed such expansions even when Belarus formally sought entry into the BRICS group
Source : Mint