BRICS: 6 more countries to become members; Argentina, Iran, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, Egypt join in

BRICS -- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – countries announced on Thursday that the awaited expansion of the grouping will go ahead.

Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE, Argentina and Ethiopia will join BRICS, said South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. The six countries are expected to become members starting 1 January, 2024.

“Through this step, the faith of numerous nations in a multipolar world order will become stronger,” said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, welcoming the expansion in the five-nation grouping.

BRICS began as a group of four countries in the mid-2000s. In 2009, BRICS nations held their first leaders’ summit in Russia. BRICS was expanded to include South Africa in 2010.

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".

Also Read: PM Modi backs BRICS expansion, calls for consensus-based move

“As I said yesterday, India has always fully supported the expansion of the membership of BRICS,” said Modi during a press statement with the other BRICS leaders. 

Congratulating the countries who had become new members of the BRICS, Modi said “I am pleased that our teams were able to build agreement on the guiding principles, standards, criteria and procedures of expansion.”  

The expansion of BRICS was billed as a point of contention between India and China. Experts speculated that China was trying to induct a number of countries which shared its Western-sceptic view of the world. 

Media reports prior to the summit, which is being held in the South African city of Johannesburg, cited Chinese officials who argued that the BRICS should become a bloc to rival the G7. 

India's stance on expansion

While India had not opposed the expansion of the BRICS, it did push for rules and procedures to be laid down that would govern which countries could enter the bloc. South African officials stated prior to the summit that over 20 countries had applied to join BRICS. Some rumoured names included Cuba, the Comoros, Bolivia, Algeria and Indonesia among others.

Also Read: BRICS 2023 highlights: India, a fastest-growing economy, will be growth engine of world, says PM Modi

No Pakistan in BRICS

China's push to incorporate Pakistan into the BRICS alliance earlier stirred a diplomatic conundrum, introducing a layer of complexity to the ongoing proceedings. China's rationale behind this initiative stems from its belief that the BRICS alliance should embrace an expanded membership, thereby accommodating more developing nations.