BRICS Expansion Not to Happen at Kazan Summit: Peskov
Kazan, the venue of the BRICS summit, Russia, Oct. 2024. X/ @Kanthan2030
October 22, 2024 Hour: 1:24 pm
Through the BRICS summit, President Putin has managed to demonstrate to the world that Russia is not as isolated.
During a press briefing on Tuesday, Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin’s spokesperson, ruled out the possibility of BRICS expansion taking place during the Kazan summit.
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“The issue of expansion is not on the agenda,” he said in statements to the press, implying that Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa still hold differing positions on the group’s enlargement.
In January, Egypt, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, and Ethiopia joined BRICS, and their leaders will attend the summit in the Tatar capital. This year, Saudi Arabia and Argentina were supposed to join, but the former did not confirm its decision to enter, and the latter withdrew its application at the last minute.
Currently, about 30 countries are interested in becoming part of BRICS. In light of this expectation, Peskov explained that, for now, the Kremlin will not accept more full members but will admit new associate states.
Among the countries that have officially expressed interest in joining BRICS are Azerbaijan, Cuba, Malaysia, Nicaragua, Thailand, Türkiye, and Venezuela. Last week, Brazilian President Lula da Silva assured that his country would defend the balance of all world regions in BRICS expansion.
Among the criteria for joining BRICS are having friendly relations with current members, not supporting economic sanctions imposed without UN authorization, and advocating for reform of the United Nations Security Council.
Founded in 2006, BRICS held its first summit in 2009. Currently, it includes countries that collectively represent one-third of the global economy and over 40 percent of the world’s population.
Through the Kazan summit, Putin has managed to demonstrate to the world that Russia is not as isolated as the hegemonic Western press portrays it. He has also paved the way for a new global majority that challenges the dominance of the United States.
teleSUR/ JF Source: Xinhua
