BRICS Summit 2023: South African President Cyril Ramaphosa invites Saudi Arabia, 5 other nation to join bloc

This development holds the promise of opening doors for numerous interested countries to align themselves with a coalition dedicated to advancing the interests of the "Global South".

Team Newsable

First Published Aug 24, 2023, 1:50 PM IST | Last Updated Aug 24, 2023, 1:57 PM IST

The BRICS group, comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, has recently seen its membership grow by six more countries. Argentina, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, and Egypt have joined the ranks of this influential coalition.

During his address on August 24, South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa unveiled the names of the new members, marking a significant expansion of the alliance and setting the stage for increased collaboration among diverse nations.

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President Ramaphosa highlighted that this expanded membership will take effect from January 1 of the upcoming year.

During the ongoing BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, Prime Minister Narendra Modi enthusiastically embraced the six new nations. He affirmed India's readiness to collaborate with these countries and expressed a shared vision to continue expanding the BRICS community to include other interested nations.

Addressing the development, the Prime Minister remarked, "I heartily welcome these six nations into BRICS... and extend my felicitations to their leaders and citizens. With India's longstanding connections to each of these countries, I am confident that our collective efforts will pave the way for a new era of collaboration and shared prosperity."

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