UAE, Saudi Arabia Among 6 Countries Invited to Join BRICS

South African President and BRICS Chair Cyril Ramaphosa has announced that the group has adopted the Johannesburg Declaration 2, inviting Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE to become full members. They will become full members from Jan 1, 2024. Effective from January 1, 2024, these countries will be welcomed as full members.

The UAE and Saudi Arabia are among six countries that have been invited to join the BRICS bloc, which currently comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.

The expansion of BRICS is seen as a boost for the global south and a way to counter the influence of the United States and other Western countries. The new members bring diverse economies to the table, which could help to strengthen BRICS's economic and political clout.

The new members will become part of BRICS with effect from January 1, 2024, Ramaphosa announced. He said the decision on the new members were agreed upon after firming up the guiding principles, criteria and procedures for the expansion process.

"We have consensus on the first phase of this BRICS expansion process," Ramaphosa said at the end of the grouping's summit in Johannesburg.

"We have decided to invite Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to become full members of BRICS," he said.

"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.