BRICS Bloc Expands with Five New Member Nations

Five out of the six countries invited to join the BRICS bloc have officially confirmed their participation, effective from January 1. South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor announced on Wednesday that Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Iran, and Egypt have all accepted the invitation to join the emerging economic alliance.

However, Argentina, the sixth invited nation, has reportedly declined the invitation to become a member of the BRICS bloc. The expansion of BRICS, originally established by China, Russia, India, and Brazil in 2009 and later joined by South Africa, aims to enhance the economic influence of the group and potentially strengthen its role as a champion of the Global South.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov expressed enthusiasm about the expanded BRICS, suggesting that it will “change the rules of the game” and contribute to the establishment of a new, fairer multipolar world order. The addition of these new member nations is expected to reshape the dynamics of the international stage.

The BRICS summit held in November, which addressed the Israel-Hamas war, went relatively unnoticed. Despite being 15 years into its existence, the BRICS bloc still faces challenges in gaining significant political weight. The limitations of the organization were evident during the Gaza summit, where it failed to issue a joint statement on Middle Eastern affairs, highlighting the ongoing hurdles in achieving unified positions among its member nations.