With many pondering the collective’s next steps, BRICS has confirmed that new countries will join the alliance in 2024. Specifically, South African ambassador Jeff Maqetuka confirmed to Russia’s state-owned TASS publication that the bloc will expand membership in the coming year.
The expansion plan would follow similar actions that took place in 2023. Specifically, the BRCIS alliance welcomed five new countries, while issuing six invitations at its annual summit. Ultimately, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Iran, Egypt, and Ethiopia became the first batch of countries to join the expanded alliance.
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BRICS Confirms that Expansion Will Take Place in 2024
One of the most important geopolitical developments of the last year included the expansion of the BRICS alliance. Amid its ongoing de-dollarization efforts, the growth in numbers was crucial to its continued commitments. Yet, as 2024 unfolds, the world is anticipating further growth for the collective.
Subsequently, in a recent expert from Russia’s TASS publication, BRICS confirmed that new countries will join the alliance in 2024. Specifically, South Africa’s Russian ambassador was asked about his stance on further expansion. In response, he stated that “the question of BRICS expansion [is not] support or no support, it is already a given.”
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When discussing expansion, Matequka states that South Africa’s role as BRICS chairman saw it spend “90% of our time on BRICS spearheading coordinated expansion.” Moreover, he noted that the economic alliance required a framework for expansion to take place. Specifically, because expansion had not been a part of the alliance to that point.
Therefore, South Africa asserts that its work establishing a framework should make further expansion much simpler. Additionally, he stated that the five incoming nations will be present for the October summit. They will also be “full member of BRICS with full voting rights,” making their voice a necessity in further expansion.
It appears as though the alliance will follow a similar tactic that it took when approaching expansions in 2023. Specifically, they are likely to invite six nations that meet its criteria to join its ranks. Although the nations that qualify within that framework are yet unknown, there is certainly no shortage of interested countries to this point.
