A total of 34 countries have expressed their desire to be part of the BRICS political and economic group, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday, taking part in a meeting of the forum’s top security officials held at the Konstantinovsky Palace in St. Petersburg.
“As of today, more than three dozen countries, 34 to be exact, have already expressed their desire to join the activities of our association in one way or another,” Putin said, as quoted by RT.
“Our presidency was entrusted with the special mission of doing everything possible to integrate the new member countries into all BRICS mechanisms in the quickest and most organic way,” he added.
In this same vein, former Bolivian foreign minister and current judge of the Andean Community of Nations (CAN) Tribunal, Rogelio Mayta, told Sputnik that the upcoming BRICS summit in the Russian city of Kazan from October 22 to 24 offers a great opportunity for more Latin American countries to join the bloc, which would imply a new era of multilateralism.
In this context, the agency writes, Venezuela, with its vast oil reserves, has a high probability of being formally accepted into the bloc, which would represent a milestone for its economic policy. Bolivia, for its part, could also enter the group due to its potential in lithium production, which would be key for the BRICS, interested in securing access to strategic resources.
The BRICS group, initially composed of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, was expanded this year with the addition of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia and Iran. This broader version is known as BRICS Plus.
Currently, this alliance accounts for almost half of the world’s population, 40 percent of global oil production and around 25 percent of goods exports.
The Russian presidency of the group is based on the motto of strengthening multilateralism for the sake of fair and secure global development.
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– 2024-09-13 03:58:53
