Saudi Arabia, Iran, and More: BRICS Invites Six Nations for Expansion

Saudi Arabia, Iran, and More: BRICS Invites Six Nations for Expansion

In a historic move, the BRICS group, consisting of major emerging economies including China, Brazil, South Africa, Russia, and India, has invited six new countries, including Saudi Arabia and Iran, to join its ranks from January 1 next year. This announcement came on the final day of the annual BRICS summit in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The six nations invited to join BRICS as full members are Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Chinese President Xi Jinping emphasized the significance of this expansion, stating, “This membership expansion is historic and a new starting point for BRICS cooperation. It will bring new vigor to the BRICS cooperation mechanism and further strengthen the force for world peace and development.”

The inclusion of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Iran, and Egypt marks the first representation from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region in BRICS, while Argentina's inclusion was supported by Brazil, another BRICS member.

The push for expansion was driven by Russia and China, partly in response to pushback from Western nations in the form of sanctions. Other BRICS nations initially had mixed opinions on expansion, but they rallied behind the plan this week.

BRICS, which represents a quarter of the global economy and 40 percent of the world’s population, has been discussing the possibility of expansion for over a year. More than 40 countries had expressed interest in joining BRICS, with 23 formally applying. The group's aim is to build a multipolar world order, giving a greater voice to the Global South in global governance.

However, some experts have noted that the diverse interests of BRICS nations have sometimes hindered their ability to take unified actions. The expansion brings the challenge of achieving consensus among an even larger group.

While the expansion plan has sparked considerable interest and debate, it represents a significant step in BRICS' effort to reshape global governance.

Source: [Al Jazeera](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/7/27/saudi-arabia-iran-among-six-nations-invited-to-join-brics)

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