Naledi Pandor Says BRICS Isn’t Ready to Accept New Members As Dozens of Nations Express Interest in Joining

• The popularity of the Brics grouping has at least a dozen nations courting the bloc for membership status
• International Relations Minister Naledi Pandor said that Brics can't accept new members at the moment
• Among the countries hoping to join Brics are Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Algeria, Bangladesh, Kazakhstan and Indonesia

CAPE TOWN - While several countries are clamouring to join the Brics bloc of emerging and developing countries, SA's Minister of International Relations, Naledi Pandor, says the group is not ready to accept new members yet.

Several countries make formal applications to join Brics bloc

Countries like the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Algeria, Bangladesh, Kazakhstan and Indonesia have all expressed interest in joining Brics.

A Saudi Arabian delegation even travelled to Cape Town to make its case in person. While Brics said it was open to new members in its drive for inclusivity, Pandor said more work needs to be done to establish criteria for new membership, EWN reported.

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Pandor said:

“Once we have a document that offers clear guidance, we will then take that to the summit in August. We’d like that work to be concluded by the time the summit sits.”

Brics foreign ministers meet to discuss future plans

The foreign ministers of the Brics countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) gathered in Cape Town on Thursday, 1 June, for a two-day meeting.

The Brics Foreign Ministers Meeting preempts the official summit, which will take place in South Africa in August this year.

Reuters reported that during Thursday's proceedings, the Brics foreign ministers asserted the grouping's ambition to rival Western powers.

On Friday, 2 June, friends and aspiring members of Brics will be hosted for the final day of the Foreign Minister's Meeting.

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SA considers venue change for Brics summit as Vladimir Putin’s ICC arrest warrant continues to create hurdles

Earlier, Breify News reported that the South African government is making contingency plans for the annual Brics summit, which is meant to be held in the country in August.

The government is considering moving the summit to a different country as it is failing to find a way around the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

According to Mail & Guardian, SA's justice ministry confirmed that it had received the arrest warrant and said SA would be obligated to act on it if Putin came to the country.

Source: Briefly News