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

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered an address on August 24 and declared the names of the new members while announcing the summit’s outcomes.

Official sources earlier informed Reuters that the BRICS group of developing nations was on the verge of extending invitations to potential new members. 

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”.

President Ramaphosa spoke about Chandrayaan-3 while inviting Prime Minister Narendra Modi to deliver a speech. PM Modi, in his speech, backed the expansion while advocating for a “multi-polar” world order. He also spoke at length about India’s achievement in space research.

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.

India’s stance on expansion

Nonetheless, this proposition encountered a substantial roadblock in the form of India’s opposition. Earlier, India staunchly opposed any efforts to broaden the BRICS membership, expressing concerns that such an expansion could potentially dilute the alliance’s fundamental objectives and weaken the established consensus among its current members. New Delhi even opposed Belarus’ earlier bid for BRICS membership.

However, on August 23, PM Narendra Modi advocated for the enlargement of the five-nation consortium. He underscored India’s profound commitment to nations of the Global South during its tenure as the head of the G20 presidency.

Updated: 24 Aug 2023, 01:35 PM IST