“Today is a historic day, because Ethiopia has officially joined the BRICS,” said the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mesganu Arga Moach, in a statement released via social media.
The Government added that “its accession is a recognition of Ethiopia’s rich multilateral contribution to promoting international peace, security and prosperity, and the country’s continued commitment and leadership in South-South cooperation”, it added.
The African country was invited to join the BRICS during the group’s 15th Summit of Heads of State and Government, held in the South African city of Johannesburg, between 22 and 24 August.
Then, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, United Arab Emirates and Iran were also invited.
Around forty countries have expressed their desire to join the group, according to the Government of South Africa, which held the rotating presidency of the bloc in 2023 and received formal expressions of interest from 23 countries, including Argentina, Bolivia, Cuba, Honduras and Venezuela.
China especially supported the expansion of the BRICS, which seek more weight in international institutions, until now dominated by the United States and Europe, as Beijing wants to expand its influence in competition with Washington.
The news of Ethiopia’s official integration came days after the president of Argentina, Javier Milei, who took office on December 10, formally informed the leaders of member countries that he will not join the bloc, contrasting with the initial positive reaction that had his predecessor, Alberto Fernández.
Milei communicated his decision in letters sent on December 22 to the President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, and the presidents of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, of China, Xi Jinping, and of Russia, Vladimir Putin, as well as to the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi.
The Argentine president, who declared his alignment with the foreign policy of the United States, Israel, the European Union and the so-called “free world”, noted, in his letter, that, “thus, the incorporation of the Argentine Republic as a full member of the BRICS is not considered appropriate.”
Brazil, Russia, India and China created the BRIC group in 2006, which South Africa joined in 2010, adding the letter S to the acronym.
The bloc represents more than 42% of the world’s population and 30% of the planet’s territory, as well as 23% of the gross domestic product (GDP) and 18% of global trade. J.M.