APA-Pretoria (South Africa) The BRICS group of emerging economies has received formal requests from 23 states from Africa, Asia, South and Central America to join the five-member grouping at the summit later in the month, South Africa’s International Relations and Co-operation Minister Naledi Pandor has revealed.
Briefing reporters on her country’s state of readiness for the summit on Monday, the minister said six of the requesting states were from Africa – Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Morocco, Nigeria, and Senegal.
As chair, South Africa continued to hold discussions on membership with the other BRICS states, Pandor said.
“We continue to meet towards building consensus and hope to have some concrete progress at the summit,” she said.
Pandor said this interest in the grouping was in recognition of the voice of BRICS as a champion of the interests of the global south.
“As a partnership, BRICS also operates on the principles of openness, solidarity, mutual respect and understanding as well as mutually beneficial co-operation that is seen to deliver tangible benefits,” she said.
The minister said the issue of membership expansion has been discussed at different levels since the first BRICS summit in 2009.
“South Africa was welcomed to BRICS as the first beneficiary of expansion in 2010 — and invited to its first BRICS summit in 2011,” she said.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has invited 67 leaders from Africa and the global south to attend the BRICS summit, and that no less than 34 countries have confirmed attendance, she added.
NM/jn/APA