Addis Ababa, Jan 1 (EFE).- Ethiopia is officially part of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) group of emerging economies, following an invitation from the group last August, the Ethiopian government confirmed on Monday.
“Today is a historic day as Ethiopia has officially joined the BRICS,” the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry said in a statement released through the social network X (formerly Twitter), welcoming its integration into “this important partnership platform.”
“Its membership recognizes the rich multilateral contribution of Ethiopia to promote international peace, security and prosperity; and the continued commitment and leadership of Ethiopia to South-South cooperation,” it 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 on Aug. 22-24.
At the same time, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Iran also received the offer.
Some 40 countries had expressed a desire to join the club, according to the South African government, which held the rotating presidency of the bloc in 2023 and had received “formal expressions of interest” from 23 countries, including Belarus, Cuba, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, the State of Palestine, Venezuela and Vietnam.
China has been particularly supportive of the expansion of the BRICS, which seeks greater weight in international institutions dominated by the United States and Europe, as Beijing seeks to expand its influence in competition with Washington.
The news of Ethiopia’s official integration came days after Argentina’s President Javier Milei, who took office on Dec. 10, formally informed the leaders of the member countries that he would not join the bloc.
Milei communicated his decision in letters sent on December 22 to the presidents of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa; Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva; China, Xi Jinping, and Russia, Vladimir Putin, as well as to the prime minister of India, Narendra Modi.
Brazil, Russia, India and China created the BRIC group in 2006, and 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 world’s gross domestic product and 18% of world trade. EFE
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