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BRICS+ prioritize expansion to combat Western hegemony – global problems

The next BRICS summit is scheduled to take place in Kazan, Russia from October 22nd to 24th. During its BRICS presidency this year, Russia said it would focus on “promoting the full spectrum of partnership and cooperation within the framework of the association at three key areas – political and security, economic and financial, and cultural and humanitarian relations.”
  • Opinion by Kester Kenn Klomegah (Moscow)
  • Inter press service

MOSCOW, Oct 3 (IPS) – In an interview with Sky News Arabia on September 20, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressed skepticism but got straight to the point about the strategic expansion of the BRICS, an association made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Under the Russian BRICS presidency, which began in January 2024.

Ethiopia, Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates formed the second wave of newest BRICS members. South Africa joined China in 2011.

Lavrov examined the history, operations and achievements and confirmed in his interview that the BRICS association is consolidating its positions and cooperating with several countries.

At the same time, this association faces certain challenges. It is necessary to promote cooperation based on a balance of interests and, above all, BRICS functions on the basis of consensus.

The consensus principle primarily aims to find agreements that reflect the mutual agreement of all parties involved. This isn't easy. The more partners, the harder it is to find an agreement. It takes longer to complete a consensus-based agreement than a vote-based solution.

According to Lavrov, this is a solid basis for developing a strategic partnership within the association. Currently, BRICS includes 10 countries; their number has doubled compared to the previous year.

More than 30 countries have already submitted applications for cooperation or membership in the association. At the summit, which will be held in Kazan in October, one of the main items on the agenda will be the consideration of applications from states wishing to interact and cooperate with BRICS+.

The BRICS+ expansion had sparked debates and discussions in recent years, long before Ethiopia, Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates finally agreed on the condition of a “consensus” from the BRICS members during the South African summit in August 2023 were accepted.

Lavrov has already indicated and repeatedly explained the “suspension” of membership in BRICS+. Instead of membership, Lavrov mentioned that potential countries could be accepted as a “partner group” only if there is only the intention to support and interact with the BRICS association.

The recipe is very simple: BRICS is an association that is based on respectful interaction with one another and on mutual consideration to promote cooperation based on a balance of interests and strictly adhere to the principle of sovereign equality of states and non-interference in each other's internal affairs.

According to the monitored information, more than 30 countries have expressed their willingness to join the BRICS amid growing dissatisfaction with Western hegemony. Lavrov also confirmed this figure in his interview with Sky News Arabia, previously stating: “The modalities of advancement must be discussed together” at future summits.

In practice, Russia suspended BRICS+ expansion, in other words, the BRICS+'s flagship policy to increase its numerical strength, with unique reports indicating that there were more than 30 countries worldwide – Latin America, Asia and Africa.

At the 15th South Africa Summit under President Cyril Ramaphosa, several countries had expressed interest in joining the BRICS association, but only five (5) eventually joined. The official documents, as set out in the guidelines, do not establish any specific criteria or rules for inclusion, other than the use of the flexible term “consensus” – a general agreement at the summit that was used in the selection process.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Russian President Vladimir Putin have referred to (named) this circle of BRICS+ friends as what are now popularly referred to as “partner members,” which is clearly reflected in official documents.

At the Primakov readings in June 2024, the extraordinary key point was an announcement by Sergei Lavrov about the “suspension” of the new BRICS membership. In mid-June 2024, Lavrov hosted the BRICS Foreign Ministers' Council in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. BRICS foreign ministers decided to suspend the admission of new members, and this step was reflected in the final documents.

Local and foreign media reported Lavrov's statement: “By an overwhelming majority, the ten members decided to take a break with new members to accommodate the new members who have doubled the size of the association. At the same time, we are working on categories of partner countries as stages on the path to full membership.

Lavrov said BRICS would use the break to draw up a list of categories for BRICS partner countries that would serve as a stepping stone towards full membership. Understandably, BRICS+ has decided to “take a break” from accepting new members. The partner country model is consistent with paragraph 92 of the Johannesburg II Declaration.

In a media release after the meeting of BRICS foreign ministers on June 10-11, they mentioned prospects for promoting a strategic partnership within the BRICS, including the establishment of a new category of “partner countries” and the suspension of new members from the Global South and the global East.

According to the agreements reached at the BRICS summit in Johannesburg in 2023, ministers reviewed efforts to coordinate the modalities of the new category of BRICS partner countries.

Under the established guidelines, Russia assumed the one-year presidency of the BRICS on January 1, 2024. The first four BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) met in September 2006 in New York City on the sidelines of the United Nations. However, the first general assembly of the BRICS countries took place on June 16, 2009 in Yekaterinburg, Russia. BRICS has gone through two phases of expansion.

In 2011, South Africa joined the association, which included Brazil, Russia, India and China. On January 1, 2024, five new members officially joined the BRICS association: Ethiopia, Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Kester Kenn Klomegah The focus is on current geopolitical changes, foreign relations and issues of Africa's economic development with external countries. Most of his well-featured articles are reprinted in several reputable foreign media outlets.

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© Inter Press Service (2024) – All rights reservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service

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