France is the only European country that expressed its interest to attend the upcoming BRICS summit in Johannesburg. French President Emmanuel Macron showed interest to attend the summit but it was met with skepticism by China and Russia. However, all skepticism aside, South Africa’s Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor gave an official statement about France’s prospects of attending the meeting.
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BRICS Officially Confirms that France is Not Invited to Attend the Summit
South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor confirmed in a press conference on Monday that France is not welcome to attend the BRICS summit, reported European media outlet NextaTV. Pandor revealed that Macron is not invited and the bloc of five nations has not sent invitations to European or Western countries. Therefore, only countries from Asia, Africa, and South America, will be a part of the meeting.
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When pressed by the media if BRICS is anti-West, the Minister refuted the claims. She stressed that the alliance is not opposing Western countries in any form. Pandor said that BRICS is “Not an anti-West regime” and the group’s goal is to aid “economic progress” for its members.
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Pandor added, “This is not, by any means, an intention to build some form of a bloc that is anti-Western. We believe in a world that collaborates and that works together for the greater good. A world that is representative where we all have an opportunity,” she said.
BRICS is an acronym for Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. The next summit will be held in South Africa on August 22 to 24. A total of 69 countries have been invited to attend the summit and the bloc could also discuss expansion efforts. Read here to know how the U.S. economy could be impacted if BRICS expands to BRICS+ after the summit.