Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey May Join BRICS ‘Very Soon’, Forum Chair Anand Says

Purnima Anand, the chair of the Forum, said that at the 14th BRICS summit they discussed the possibility of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Turkey joining BRICS very soon.

According to the president of the BRICS International Forum, Purnima Anand, Turkey, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia might “very soon” join the club of major emerging economies, which also includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.

According to Anand, this topic was discussed by China, Russia, and India at the 14th BRICS Summit, which virtually took place from June 23 to 24.

“All these countries have shown an interest in joining and are preparing to apply for membership. I think this is a good step, because expansion is always perceived positively; this will clearly increase the influence of BRICS in the world… I hope that the accession of countries to BRICS will happen very quickly, because now all representatives of the core of the association are interested in enlargement. So it will be very soon,” Purnima Anand stated.

According to reports, the BRICS International Forum President is sure that Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Turkey will all join the organization soon because they have already “begun the process.” She reportedly said that they wouldn’t all sign up at once though.

Anand’s comments are consistent with those made earlier about the potential growth of BRICS by Li Kexin, head of the Department of International Economic Affairs at the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Li Kexin stated during a press conference following the 14th BRICS summit in Beijing that “there are several countries currently ‘at the door’ — for example, Indonesia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Argentina.”

The BRICS nations concur that the bloc needs new members while maintaining its distinctive identity, he continued.

“I believe there is a shared understanding that we need to enlarge, get ‘new faces’,” Li said.

He highlighted, however, that the growth of the BRICS is “not to create a new bloc.”

Siyabonga Cyprian Cwele, the South African ambassador to China, who spoke beside Li, emphasized that BRICS is about partnership rather than “big muscle.”

The Global Times had quoted Sabino Vaca Narvaja, Argentina’s ambassador to China, as saying that “the BRICS cooperation mechanism is of great significance for the building of a new, more multipolar and balanced world.”

“We are interested in joining BRICS because it is a cooperative mechanism composed entirely of emerging economies. There are no strings attached and all cooperation is mutually beneficial,” Vaca said.

At their 14th meeting in Beijing, China, the BRICS group of countries decided to work together to improve and change global governance while preserving international peace and security.

South Africa will take up the rotational chairmanship of BRICS in 2019 from China, who currently holds the position.

Iran, Algeria, Argentina, Egypt, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Senegal, Uzbekistan, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Malaysia, and Thailand were among the 13 other developing countries whose leaders were invited by Beijing to the conference.

Chinese President Xi Jinping urged the world to “reject hegemony, bullying, and division” in his opening remarks at the summit.

Iran made its ambition to join BRICS known in advance of the meeting, citing its “unique geographical position and its capabilities in the fields of energy, transit, and trade” as well as its potential to serve as a “golden route to connect” the East and the West.

“If Iran and other powerful countries join the grouping, it can be even stronger and challenge western policies,” Iran’s state-owned Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) added.