Indonesia has received the status of 'partner' or associate country of BRICS, the world's emerging economies. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Pankin said this information. Along with Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand also got this status. However, the names of the latter two countries have not been officially announced yet. This information is known from the report of the Russian press RT.
Pankin said this at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) ministerial meeting in Peru's capital Lima last Thursday. He said that important agreements were reached in the conference on trade, investment, artificial intelligence, energy, climate and logistics. Pankin said, “Indonesia, a member state of APEC, has become a partner country of BRICS.”
Referring to the BRICS summit held last month in Kazan, Russia, Pankin said, “This conference has shown that the world is now trying to build a new world order based on justice. It also reflected the desire to reform international institutions and create equitable economic relations.'
Indonesia's accession to BRICS as an associate country was approved at the Kazan Conference. This status will serve as a substitute for membership. Currently more than 30 countries have applied to join BRICS.
Under this status, partner countries will have the opportunity to permanently participate in BRICS special sessions, foreign ministers' meetings and other high-level events. Associate countries will also be able to contribute to the BRICS final document. According to the Russian media, Malaysia and Thailand have also received the status of partner countries. However, the names of the two countries were not mentioned in the statement of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
It should be noted that the member states at the time of the establishment of BRICS are – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. From January 1, 2024, Egypt, Iran, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates also officially became members of BRICS.
Earlier, Russia's ally Belarus announced that they have also become BRICS partners. BRICS is a pillar of the multilateral world order, bringing hope for a just world order to many countries, Minsk said in a statement. Bolivian Foreign Minister Celinda Sosa Lunda said last Thursday that Russia has invited Bolivia to become a partner country of BRICS. He said, 'We have responded positively.'
The list of countries interested in joining BRICS has not been officially released. However, Algeria, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Türkiye, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Vietnam have been mentioned in the media.
