PM bats for strengthening ‘multipolar world’ at BRICS

Johannesburg: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday called upon the friendly countries to work together to strengthen a ‘multipolar world' at the 15th BRICS Summit being held at Johannesburg in South Africa.

In a significant development, the leaders of the BRICS — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — decided on Thursday to expand the grouping and admit six new members. Saudi Arabia, Iran, UAE, Egypt, Ethiopia and Argentina will become part of BRICS with effect from January 1, 2024. At a joint media briefing in Johannesburg, South African President and Summit host Cyril Ramaphosa, along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, said, “We have consensus on the first phase of this BRICS expansion process… We have decided to invite Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to become full members of BRICS.”

“We value the interests of other countries in building partnership with BRICS and have tasked our Foreign Ministers to further develop the BRICS partnership model and list of prospective countries (which want to join the grouping),” Ramaphosa said.

Prime Minister Modi, in a tweet, said, “On the occasion of the 15th anniversary of BRICS, we have taken the decision to expand this forum. India has always fully supported this expansion.

Such an expansion will make BRICS stronger and more effective. In that spirit, India welcomes Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and UAE into the BRICS family.”

He said the “expansion and modernisation” of BRICS is a message that all institutions in the world need to mould themselves according to changing times. “India has always fully supported the expansion of the BRICS membership.

India has been of the view that the addition of new members will further strengthen BRICS as an organisation and give a new impetus to all our common endeavours,” he said. Modi said the decision to expand the bloc will further strengthen the faith of many countries in the multipolar world order.

The grouping was formed in September 2006 and it originally comprised Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC). It was renamed as BRICS after South Africa was accepted as a full member in September 2010. At present, the BRICS represents 41 per cent of the global population, 24 per cent of the global GDP and 16 per cent of the global trade.