Ethiopia is officially part of the Brics group of emerging economies (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), following the bloc's invitation to the African country in August last year, the government confirmed this Monday (1st). Ethiopian.
“Today is a historic day because Ethiopia has officially joined Brics,” said the African country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement released through the social network X, celebrating its integration into “this important partnership platform.”
“The accession is a recognition of Ethiopia's rich multilateral contribution to promoting international peace, security and prosperity, and continued commitment and leadership in South-South cooperation,” he added.
The African country was invited to join Brics during the group's 15th Summit of Heads of State and Government, held in the South African city of Johannesburg between August 22 and 24, 2023.
On that occasion, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Iran also received this offer.
Around 40 countries have expressed their desire to join the group, according to the South African government, 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 has especially supported the expansion of BRICS, which seeks more weight in international institutions previously dominated by the United States and Europe, as Beijing seeks to expand its influence in competition with Washington.
The news of Ethiopia's official membership comes days after Argentine President Javier Milei, who took office on December 10, formally informed the leaders of member countries that he would not join the bloc, in contrast to the initial positive stance of his predecessor, Alberto Fernández (2019-2023).
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, in addition to 23% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 18% of world trade.
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