2023-08-03 18:59:00
Dmitri Peskov / Photo: AFP.
Russia considered this Thursday that the inclusion of countries such as Argentina, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (USA) to the Brics will strengthen the group, also formed by Brazil, China and South Africa, and pointed out that the possibility of new incorporations will be discussed at the next summit in Johannesburg.
“We believe that the expansion of the Brics in one way or another will contribute to the development and further strengthening of the organization,” said the Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskovquoted by the Sputnik news agency.
“In any case, These are countries with which there is quite constructive interaction in various areas“, he specified, referring to Argentina, Saudi Arabia and the USA.
However, the spokesperson asked not to get ahead of themselves, since it is an issue that will be discussed among the member countries of the group, in particular, during their future summit, which will be held from August 22 to 24 in the South African city of Johannesburg.
Regarding the creation of a common currency for the Brics, Peskov expressed his conviction that it is not currently achievable, but considered that it must continue to be addressed.
The president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who will attend the meeting in South Africa, insisted on the need for a “currency of the Brics to de-dollarize” trade between the countries.
“Why does Brazil need dollars to trade with China, with Argentina? It can be done with local currencies. Europe did it with the euro and we are more than half of humanity. That is why I say that we must discuss, have a currency to negotiate between us,” said the president at a breakfast with foreign correspondents, including Télam, at the Planalto Palace.
Lula Da Silva / Photo: Press.
Lula da Silva also defended that the New Development Bank (NDB), the so-called Brics Bank, currently chaired by former Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, could be an option for developing nations instead of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
“The Bank of the Brics has to be more efficient and more generous than the IMF. In other words, the bank must exist to help save countries and not to submerge countries”he assured.
In this sense, the incorporation of Argentina to the bloc would allow it to have access to other sources of financing.
The Brics and their future
The group that is currently made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, which together represent 42% of the world’s population and generate 31.5% of the global Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Lately, countries like Argentina, Bolivia, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Turkey and others showed interest in joining the organization.
With the war in Ukraine as a backdrop, the group’s next summit is expected to be atypical, with a virtual participation of Russian President Vladimir Putin to evade an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague for alleged crimes. of war.
Although Russia does not adhere to the Rome Statute of the ICC, South Africa is a party and would be forced to stop it, so the Kremlin announced a week ago that it will send Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to “work on the ground” while Putin will participate by videoconference.
The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modiconfirmed this Thursday his face-to-face participation in the South African summit, which will be attended as a guest by the Bolivian president, Luis Arcewhose government officially announced its willingness to join the bloc in June.
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