What is the charm of the BRICS?, Another country applies to join and join the BRICS countries | Ethiopia

According to local media reports, the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on June 29th that Ethiopia has applied to join the BRICS countries, which will help Ethiopia safeguard its national interests. Public opinion has noticed that as the attractiveness of the BRICS countries becomes increasingly prominent, more and more countries around the world are hoping to join this international organization.

Another country applies to join

According to local media reports, Ethiopian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Meles Alem stated on the same day that Ethiopia has applied to join the BRICS countries and hopes to receive a positive response.

Alame explained, "As a founding member of international organizations such as the African Union and the United Nations, joining organizations like the BRICS is crucial as we seek to safeguard our national interests."

According to the news website Borkena in Ethiopia, Alem also mentioned that Ethiopia's accession to the BRICS is "due to changes in international relations and balance of power.".

Local media also pointed out that Ethiopia's search to join the BRICS countries has long been laid the groundwork. The Asian Standard states that recent studies have shown a sharp increase in trade between Ethiopia and the BRICS countries, particularly with China and India. "BRICS countries are increasingly becoming important trading partners of Ethiopia, especially as a source of imports."

Borkena News Network also wrote that from 2020 to 2022, there were continuous armed conflicts between the Ethiopian government army and the armed forces of the Tigre People's Liberation Front. At that time, the West imposed economic sanctions on Ethiopia, while China, Russia, and India provided diplomatic support to Ethiopia at the United Nations.

If Ethiopia successfully joins, it is expected to further expand the population coverage of the BRICS countries. According to Lebanese television station Square, Ethiopia, with a population of nearly 112 million, is the second most populous country in Africa, second only to Nigeria, which is also considering joining the BRICS countries.

Attraction is becoming increasingly prominent

The BRICS countries include China, Russia, India, Brazil, and South Africa, with a population of 41.93% of the world's total population. It is estimated that in 2021, the total economic output of the five countries accounted for approximately 25.24% of the world, and the total trade volume accounted for 17.9% of the world.

In 2006, the foreign ministers of the BRICS countries held their first meeting, marking the beginning of cooperation among the BRICS countries. As an important platform for cooperation between emerging market countries and developing countries, the BRICS countries are committed to maintaining multilateralism and actively promoting global governance system reform. They have become a positive, stable, and constructive force in international affairs.

With the widespread recognition and support of the BRICS cooperation mechanism from the international community, more and more like-minded partners hope to participate.

At the end of May, Venezuelan President Maduro told the media after a meeting with Brazilian President Lula that the BRICS countries are attracting those seeking peace and cooperation in the world, and Venezuela "hopes to become a part of the BRICS countries in an appropriate way.".

On June 14th, Russian Ambassador to Egypt Borishchenko stated that Egypt has officially applied to join the BRICS Cooperation Mechanism and is very interested in "de dollarization".

On June 19th, the Dhaka Forum reported that Bangladesh has officially applied to join the BRICS Cooperation Mechanism.

According to today's Russian news agency, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov stated on June 16 that Algeria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates all hope to strengthen ties with the BRICS countries.

Lavrov said that given the important position of these countries in the Arab and Islamic world, their accession will have an undeniable positive impact on the BRICS countries, including enriching their multipolar foundation.

The public opinion also notes that if these major oil producing countries join, it means that the BRICS cooperation mechanism will cover more than half of the global oil and gas resources, and its influence will greatly increase.

In addition, potential new members of the BRICS countries, Iran and Argentina, have also received considerable attention. Public opinion has noticed that among the countries currently seeking to join the BRICS, some have economic and financial influence, while others have demographic advantages.

At the same time, friendly exchanges between BRICS countries and other countries are also constantly advancing. From June 1st to 2nd, the official meeting of BRICS foreign ministers and the meeting of friends of BRICS foreign ministers were held in Cape Town, South Africa. Official information shows that in addition to the ministers of member countries, this meeting has also attracted the participation of more than ten countries. Iran, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Cuba, Congo, Comoros, Gabon, and Kazakhstan all sent representatives to attend. In addition, representatives from Egypt, Argentina, Bangladesh, Guinea Bissau, and Indonesia attended the meeting online.

At that time, the host South African Foreign Minister Pandor said that the BRICS countries were defenders of developing countries. During the COVID-19 epidemic, developing countries were "abandoned" by developed countries.

She said, "The world is stumbling in terms of cooperation. Developed countries have never fulfilled their commitments to developing countries, and they are trying to shift all responsibility onto southern countries."

Congolese Foreign Minister Lutongdula also stated that developed countries lack the political will to promote common peace and prosperity. My country... urges the BRICS countries to bring about change and establish a new international order.

Indian Foreign Minister Su Jiesheng stated at the time that the talks involved the expansion prospects of the BRICS countries, including corresponding standards and procedures.

The results may be announced in August

Lavrov also revealed this month that due to the decision made by the BRICS countries through consensus, the organization has established a procedure to coordinate the positions of member states on the issue of expansion. The expected results will be announced at the summit held in South Africa in August. The topic of expanding staff is expected to become one of the main topics of this summit, attracting attention from all parties.

This year, South Africa will assume the rotating presidency of the BRICS countries. Yesterday, the South African Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed once again that the 15th meeting of BRICS leaders will be held from August 22 to 24, 2023 at the Thornton Convention Center in Johannesburg. This summit will be held around the theme of "BRICS and Africa: Partnership for mutually accelerating growth, sustainable development, and inclusive multilateralism".

South African Foreign Minister Pandor stated on June 27th that leaders from China, India, and Brazil are all planning to attend the summit, while Russia has not yet responded to whether President Putin will attend. This summit is expected to attract European leaders to attend. French Foreign Minister Cologne stated this month that French President Macron hopes to attend the 15th BRICS summit.