Summit in South Africa – Brics Group is becoming more powerful: Six new states – News

  • The Brics group of important emerging markets is expanded by six countries.
  • Saudi Arabia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Argentina, Egypt and Ethiopia will join on January 1, 2024, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced at the alliance’s summit in Johannesburg on Thursday.

The expansion of the group was the focus of the three-day summit meeting, which ends on Thursday. With the admission of the new members, the group develops into «Brics plus».

Other countries are to follow

The aim of the alliance is to form a counterweight to the geopolitical and economic dominance of the West. The Brics countries also want to reduce their dependence on the US dollar as the global reserve currency. According to their own statements, the Brics countries make up 42 percent of the world’s population, 30 percent of the global land area and 24 percent of global economic output.

Baerbock is relaxed


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Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock was deliberately relaxed about the enlargement. The federal government would also meet with the Brics states, Germany is also active in formats such as the G7, G20 or the OSCE. “I almost take it for granted that other groups do it too,” she said in Berlin.

At the beginning of the summit, Baerbock said that she did not see any division or weakening of the G20, the group of the 20 most important industrialized countries, in an enlargement. It is right when medium-sized countries demand more say and do not want to leave the international order to the “biggest and strongest”.

In the end, however, countries like South Africa, Brazil, Indonesia and India would have to ask themselves which partnership best suits their own values ​​and interests, she said, referring to Russia and China.

Numerous other members are to be admitted. According to South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor, around 40 countries have expressed a more or less binding interest in Brics membership, 22 of them concretely. This circle includes Algeria, Kuwait, Bangladesh, Venezuela and Thailand. The accession criteria for this have not yet been publicly announced.

China’s President Xi Jinping, Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Ramaphosa are in Johannesburg. Russian President Vladimir Putin is connected via video. Had he arrived, he would have feared being arrested for alleged war crimes during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, according to the arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

Putin pleased with the enlargement

At the Brics summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin described the agreement on the final declaration and the expansion of the alliance as “not easy”. But South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, as host, showed “amazing diplomatic skill” in reconciling all positions, which is why it succeeded in the end, Putin praised.

Brics group wants to break away from Dollar


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During their summit in South Africa, the Brics Group also passed a resolution to consider creating a new payments currency. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who represented Putin in Johannesburg, even spoke of wanting to introduce an alternative payment system. Lula had advocated that transactions between the Brics countries should no longer be done in dollars.

The Kremlin chief congratulated the six new members of the Brics Group of important emerging countries. Saudi Arabia, Iran, United Arab Emirates, Argentina, Egypt and Ethiopia will join on January 1, 2024. Russia had expressly supported the enlargement.

At the same time, Putin and his Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who was in Johannesburg, used the summit to show that Russia is continuing to make decisions on the international stage, despite the pressure and sanctions from the West.

China sees great responsibility in Brics

The expansion will give new impetus to the group’s cooperation and is historic, Chinese President Xi Jinping said in Johannesburg. The Brics countries have an important global influence and a great responsibility. He announced a $10 billion special fund for global development.

Argentine President is pleased


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“This opens up new opportunities for Argentina,” said President Alberto Fernández in a video message published on Thursday. “We become protagonists in pursuit of a common goal within a bloc that represents 40 percent of the world’s population.”

Given the geopolitical and economic challenges, it makes sense for Argentina to join the group. “The Brics play a key role in calling for a global financial architecture that addresses the need for growth, trade, investment and social well-being,” said Fernández.

For Argentina, the Brics members China and Brazil are already the most important trading partners. The government in Buenos Aires, which is highly indebted to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), is also looking for new lenders such as the New Development Bank of the Brics Group.

China also wants to increase cooperation with Iran under the Brics bloc and on other multilateral platforms, Chinese state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Xi’s talks with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on the sidelines of the summit.

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