Jakarta, Indonesianpost.com – Several countries around the world have reportedly expressed their intention to become members of BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) since the beginning of 2022. The member countries of these intergovernmental organizations are said to welcome their aspirations.
“The number of countries registering to join BRICS and SCO has soared to 20 countries,” said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in a meeting with the regional office of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
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“It should be noted that over the past few years, including during the first year of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine, the number of countries wanting to join BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization has dramatically increased. Up to now, there are around twenty of them,” Lavrov said.
He added that many of them are applying to play an important role in their regions. Those countries include Turkey, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Mexico, and Egypt.
The Russian Foreign Minister noted that the list of these countries clearly shows “the failure of Western efforts to isolate” Russia, which is a member of BRICS and SCO.
“Western attempts to impose its will on others, to impose what it calls the rules it wants to build and maintain the pro-Western order is completely futile and there is no hope at all,” Lavrov emphasized.
According to him, “The intention of these countries to join the bloc also reflects the failure of the Western strategy, which produces the opposite effect.”
Lavrov explained that the understanding of the “geopolitical tectonic process” is driving these countries to cooperate with “like-minded partners.”
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The main reason for this, he added, is that they are willing to act independently in their actions and in any partnerships to prioritize their own national interests and “not the desires of others.”
“In this regard, cooperation with Russia, as well as with other regional block member countries, provides a wide range of interaction fields,” he said.
In the meeting, Lavrov also called on various regions of Russia to cooperate with BRICS and SCO.
According to him, there is already a format for regional interaction and cooperation between the regions and provinces of participating countries within the organization.
BRICS is an informal association of the world’s major developing countries formed in 2006, consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, and China, with South Africa joining the group in 2010.
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Potential candidates for membership include countries such as Argentina, Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, and Turkey.
These countries have expressed their interest in joining the group over the past few months and years.
Specifically, Algeria submitted its formal application last November.
Earlier this month, the Russian foreign minister revealed, “Algeria, because of all its advantages, is one of the main competitors for BRICS membership.”