Despite the growing interest in joining the group, BRICS have officially paused admitting new members into the economic alliance. Since its foreign minister meeting last week, the collective has seen more than nine countries seek entry. However, the group has decided to halt the expansion process for now.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov revealed the halt on new members in a recent meeting with Belarus officials. The group intends six countries to join its ranks during its 2023 annual summit. Four nations accepted, with the bloc growing for the first time since 2001.
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BRICS Announce Halt to Expansion Plan
With the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt, Ethiopia, and Iran joining last year, many expected the BRICS bloc to continue those plans. However, that doesn’t seem to be the case now. One Russian official has announced that the BRICS alliance has paused admitting new nations.
“By the overwhelming majority, the ten nations decided to take a pause with new members to take in the new members who have doubled the association,” Lavrov told Balrus Council of the Republic speaker Natalia Kochanova, according to foreign news reports.
“At the same time, we are working on categories of partner countries as stages ahead of a full-fledged membership.” Moreover, Lavrov said the bloc will “support our Belarusian friends as a member of like-minded nations.”
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Belarus joins countries like Turkey, Sri Lanka, Serbia, Turkey, Thailand, and Malaysia as countries interested in becoming a part of the grouping. Serbia’s Deputy Prime Minister, Aleksandar Vulin, recently discussed the allure of joining BRICS, without requiring nations to adopt foreign laws or “hand over power to the NGO sector.
The bloc had reportedly sought to increase its membership in Asian nations. Bloomberg reported that both Russia and China saw benefit in extending their reach to that region. That may not be the case now, as the grouping is shifting its focus to partnerships.