The BRICS, a bloc that brings together Russia, China, India, Brazil and South Africa, has received official applications for membership from 23 countries in Africa, Asia, South America, and Central America, as stated by the South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor.
According to the press briefing aired on YouTube on Monday, Morocco is one of the countries that have shown an interest in joining the grouping.
The minister was discussing her country’s preparedness for the summit (Aug. 22-24 in Johannesburg), and revealed that six of the applicant states were African, namely: Morocco, Egypt, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Senegal, and Algeria.
Other countries interested in joining the grouping are: Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Honduras, Indonesia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Palestine, Thailand, Venezuela, and Vietnam.
The minister explained that since the first BRICS meeting in 2009, the question of membership enlargement has been considered at various levels.
“The BRICS leaders may eventually decide by consensus which new countries will be joining the group among the nations that have applied for membership. We have received official statements of interest from the leaders of 23 countries to join the alliance, as well as other informal consultations on accession opportunities,” she confirmed.
Emmanuel Macron had expressed his desire to participate in the summit via his Minister of Foreign Affairs; however, Pandor clarified that the French president was not invited, “No invitation has been sent to this effect.”
President Cyril Ramaphosa summoned 67 African and South African leaders to the BRICS meeting, and at least 34 countries have confirmed their attendance.
The BRICS countries account for 41.13% of the global population and around 31.5% of global GDP.