BRICS Expands: UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt Among Five New Members

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In a groundbreaking move, the BRICS alliance, comprised of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, announced the expansion of its membership, inviting Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates to join their ranks, Wego reports.

Leaders from the BRICS alliance have made a significant decision to extend invitations to six additional countries to join their coalition. During a three-day summit hosted by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in Johannesburg, Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates were formally invited to become members of BRICS.

The new memberships are set to commence on 1 January 2024.

Ramaphosa emphasized the alliance’s interest in fostering partnerships with other nations, highlighting the intention to develop a model for BRICS partner countries. Foreign Ministers have been tasked with further refining this model and compiling a list of potential partner countries to report on at the next Summit.

This expansion of the alliance signifies the challenges faced in strengthening the existing BRICS coalition, characterized by diverging interests despite collectively representing a significant portion of global GDP.

The recent gathering in Johannesburg marked the 15th summit of the BRICS emerging group, notably the first to be conducted in person since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.