/ world today news/ Argentine President Javier Millay has officially refused to join BRICS, an organization that will be chaired by Russia in 2024. The new Argentine leadership has already taken a number of anti-Russian steps and says it will develop relations with “liberal democracies”. What does this mean in terms of Russian interests?
Argentine President Javier Millay has officially refused to join the BRICS country. This is stated in the corresponding letter to the members of the association. According to him, at the moment he considers Argentina’s participation in this format inappropriate.
The letter was written a week ago, on December 22, but was published by the Argentine government on Friday, the last working day of the year. Millay, who describes himself as an “anarcho-capitalist”, suggested that the BRICS countries should “intensify bilateral ties” and increase “trade and investment flows”. He is set to meet any of the five community leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
As the country’s foreign minister Diana Mondinho explained, the refusal is partly ideological. Now Argentina has a lot of economic problems and the purpose of BRICS is to trade with countries with which Buenos Aires already has trade relations. In addition, the country intends to focus on developing relations with “liberal democracies” such as the US, Canada, Israel, New Zealand and Europe.
Mondinho made it clear that Argentina would not join BRICS in November, days after Millay won the presidential election. “I don’t know why there is so much interest in BRICS,” Mondinho said.
The then president of Argentina, Alberto Fernandez, called the invitation “a great opportunity”. “We are opening up opportunities to enter new markets, consolidate existing ones, attract investment, create jobs and increase imports,” Fernandez said.
In the summer, during the election campaign, Millay opposed joining the BRICS and also proposed abandoning the national currency in favor of the dollar, abolishing the central bank, significantly reducing the state apparatus and focusing on the US in foreign policy.
Millay promised voters a dramatic shake-up of foreign policy, including Argentina’s relationship with its two main trading partners – and BRICS founders – Brazil and China. During the campaign, the politician disparaged countries ruled by “communism” and said he would not maintain diplomatic relations with them, despite growing Chinese investment in South America.
In particular, he called Brazilian leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva an “angry communist” and compared the Chinese government to a “murderer”, threatening to sever ties. “I would not encourage relations with communists,” Millay said in August.
BRICS includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Participants at the August summit in Johannesburg formally invited the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Argentina, Egypt and Ethiopia to join the association on January 1, 2024. The BRICS countries account for about 40% of the world’s population and more than a quarter of the world’s GDP.
Starting next year, Russia will chair BRICS and hold the main summit in Kazan. Moscow will place special emphasis on establishing practical work with the new members of the organization and expanding the influence of BRICS in the world. Several hundred different events are planned for this purpose.
“This step is of little importance to Russia. We were ready for this, Miley stated even before the presidential elections that he would not sign documents on Argentina’s accession to the BRICS,” says Nikolai Kalashnikov, adviser to the director of the Latin American Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, an expert at the Russian Council on International Affairs.
But Miley’s démarche has a negative meaning due to the fact that Russia is aimed at cooperation with Latin America, including Mercosur (the common market of South American countries). “This is much more important for Brazil, as Argentina’s accession to BRICS would help strengthen economic cooperation between the two countries. But considering Argentina’s difficult economic situation, BRICS will not suffer much from a refusal to join,” Kalashnikov is convinced.
“For BRICS, Argentina’s refusal is a blow to its image, because certain agreements were reached and not everyone can join the association. Another thing is that the refusal was predictable because Millay clearly outlined his position during the election campaign. But this does not mean that he will automatically abandon his relations with China, which would be strange – China is one of Argentina’s largest trading partners,” says Victor Heifetz, professor in the Department of Theory and History of International Relations at the Faculty of International Relations. of St. Petersburg State University.
The expert predicts that if Millay’s economic plan does not work, he will have to look for new partners and possibly discuss the issue of BRICS membership. “But if Miley returns to the issue of BRICS membership, then I admit that Argentina will have to start all over again,” the specialist believes.
According to Heifetz, Miley’s actions regarding BRICS are not related to the fact that Russia will chair the association, even despite the fact that Zelensky was invited to the inauguration of the new president and it was decided to transfer Russian Mi-171E helicopters to Ukraine. purchased in 2011 production. “Miley does not cut off relations with Russia, and he was skeptical of BRICS at the beginning. The new president is betting on the financial sector,” the source explained.
Kalashnikov is convinced that Zelensky’s presence at the inauguration and the decision about the helicopters are anti-Russian steps. On this occasion, the Russian ambassador to the country, Dmitry Feoktistov, said that Moscow was against Argentina transferring Russian helicopters to the “enemies of Russia”. “I doubt that the transfer of these helicopters will significantly strengthen Ukrainian defenses. It’s a demonstrative step to show whose side you’re on,” the source noted.
These are also clear steps towards the USA and NATO, Millay is instilling in Argentina a pro-American model of behavior. “On the other hand, our ambassador to Argentina, Feoktistov, has already expressed confidence in maintaining cooperation between Moscow and Buenos Aires. There may not be a close friendship, but diplomatic relations will remain,” concludes Kalashnikov.
Translation: V. Sergeev
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