African Countries Reaffirm their Decision to Join BRICS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6H0CCSffb2A
金砖国家联盟包括巴西、俄罗斯、印度、中国和南非，代表全球经济的四分之一和世界人口的 40% 以上。 该组织被视为国际事务中的一股新力量，尤其是在围绕联合国改革和新的全球秩序展开辩论之际。 有兴趣加入金砖国家的非洲国家包括阿尔及尔、阿根廷、巴林、孟加拉国、印度尼西亚、伊朗、埃及、墨西哥、尼日利亚、巴基斯坦、苏丹、叙利亚、土耳其、阿拉伯联合酋长国、委内瑞拉和津巴布韦。
俄罗斯外长谢尔盖拉夫罗夫表示，金砖国家联盟也得到了十几个国家的兴趣，他认为石油资源丰富的阿拉伯国家也可以加入该组织，并与八国上海合作组织建立伙伴关系（ 上合组织）。 上海合作组织包括印度、俄罗斯、巴基斯坦、哈萨克斯坦、吉尔吉斯斯坦、塔吉克斯坦和乌兹别克斯坦。 中国外交部发言人汪文斌肯定了拉夫罗夫的表态，表示金砖国家外长就金砖扩大进程达成共识，金砖合作是开放包容的。
有兴趣加入金砖国家的非洲国家
津巴布韦执政党ZANU-PF议长克里斯托弗·穆茨万格瓦周三表示，津巴布韦政府愿意加入金砖经济集团。 他明确表示愿意成为金砖国家的一员，对其进一步发展表示乐观。 Mutsvangwa 还指出，津巴布韦有兴趣创建西方目前占主导地位的 Swift 支付网络的替代方案。 他相信金砖国家可以帮助解决这个问题。
除津巴布韦外，其他非洲国家也表现出加入金砖国家的兴趣。 2020年，阿尔及利亚、埃及、尼日利亚表达了加入金砖国家的愿望。 对阿尔及利亚来说，加入金砖国家联盟将使该国获得新市场和投资机会。 该国寻求实现经济多元化，摆脱对石油和天然气出口的依赖。 阿尔及利亚也希望建立稳定的多边国际秩序，促进南南合作。
尼日利亚是非洲最大的经济体，自 2018 年以来一直有兴趣加入金砖国家。尼日利亚总统穆罕默杜·布哈里强调与金砖国家加强经济联系，尤其是在贸易、技术和投资方面。 尼日利亚将加入金砖国家视为减少对石油出口依赖和促进经济多元化的一种方式。 尼日利亚还将金砖国家视为与其他新兴市场接触并促进非洲内部经济一体化的平台。
作为其旨在吸引外国投资和促进经济增长的经济改革计划的一部分，埃及对加入金砖国家表现出浓厚兴趣。 埃及政府认为，加入金砖国家将使其能够开拓新的市场和投资机会，尤其是在能源、农业和基础设施领域。 埃及也有兴趣与金砖国家就地区安全和反恐问题进行合作。
The Brics alliance includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, representing a quarter of the global economy and more than 40% of the world's population. The group is seen as a new power in international affairs, especially as debates around UN reforms and new global orders emerge. African countries that have shown interest in joining the Brics include Algiers, Argentina, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Iran, Egypt, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sudan, Syria, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe.
The Brics alliance has also received interest from over a dozen countries, as stated by Sergey Lavrov, the foreign minister of Russia, who believes that oil-rich Arab nations could also join the group and forge partnerships with the eight-nation Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). The SCO comprises India, Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin affirmed Lavrov's comments, stating that the Brics Ministers of Foreign Affairs have reached a consensus on the Brics expansion process and that Brics cooperation is open and inclusive.
African countries interested in joining Brics
Christopher Mutsvangwa, the speaker of the ruling party of Zimbabwe, ZANU-PF, stated on Wednesday that the Zimbabwean government would like to join the Brics economic bloc. He made it clear that they would like to become a member of the Brics, expressing optimism for its further development. Mutsvangwa also noted that Zimbabwe is interested in creating alternatives to the Swift payment network, which the West currently dominates. He believes that Brics could help with this issue.
Apart from Zimbabwe, other African countries have shown interest in joining Brics. In 2020, Algeria, Egypt, and Nigeria expressed their desire to join Brics. For Algeria, joining the Brics alliance would give the country access to new markets and investment opportunities. The country seeks to diversify its economy and move away from its dependence on oil and gas exports. Algeria also hopes to create a stable, multilateral global order and promote South-South cooperation.
Nigeria is Africa's largest economy and has been interested in joining Brics since 2018. Nigeria's president, Muhammadu Buhari, has emphasized increasing economic ties with Brics nations, especially in trade, technology, and investment. Nigeria sees Brics membership as a way to reduce its dependence on oil exports and promote economic diversification. Nigeria also sees the Brics as a platform to engage with other emerging markets and promote economic integration within Africa.
Egypt has shown a keen interest in joining Brics as part of its economic reform plan, which aims to attract foreign investment and promote economic growth. The Egyptian government believes that joining Brics will enable it to tap into new markets and investment opportunities, particularly in energy, agriculture, and infrastructure. Egypt is also interested in cooperating with Brics nations on issues of regional security and counter-terrorism.
As BRICS Chair, South Africa Vows to 'Advance African Interests'
January 10, 2023 11:23 AM
South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa speaks during the BRICS Business Council prior to the 11th edition of the BRICS Summit, in Brasilia, on Nov. 13, 2019.
JOHANNESBURG —
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa says he'll use his chairmanship of the BRICS group of leading emerging economies to focus on advancing African interests. The bloc — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — is seen as an alternative to dominant Western economies.
South Africa has just taken over the BRICS chairmanship from China and will host the group’s annual summit this year — with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa promising more African countries will be invited to attend.
“We want to use this opportunity to advance the interests of our continent, and we will therefore through the BRICS summit be having an outreach process or moment, where we will invite other African countries to come and be part of the BRICS because we do want BRICS in whatever BRICS does to focus on helping to develop our continent," said Ramaphosa.
"Our continent was pillaged and ravaged and exploited by other continents and we therefore want to build the solidarity in BRICS to advance the interests, of course initially of our own country, but also of the continent as a whole.”
Asked what form advocating for Africa might take, Mikatekiso Kubayi, a researcher at the Pretoria-based research organization the Institute for Global Dialogue, told VOA it would likely be focused on helping African countries gain greater access to the global economy.
He said BRICS is all about allowing the “voices of the marginalized to actually be heard” and said Africa wants to better the living standards of its people and create employment.
“The collective strength of the BRICS economy and the technological capability, market size, and other qualities that make BRICS a solid development partner for Africa is what South Africa will look to harness with the BRICS partners. I think that is what the president was referring to,” said Kubayi.
Elizabeth Sidiropoulos, of the South African Institute of International Affairs, said that trade would be a priority and there would be a focus on unlocking the potential of the recently formed African Continental Free Trade Area.
She noted that China, the world’s second-largest economy, is the continent’s single largest trade partner.
She said the summit is also about getting investment from external partners and sparking intra-continental trade.
“South Africa would want to advocate in the discussions on these issues with its other BRICS partners in terms of how we, we use the creation of a continental free trade area, not only to trade more with the external world, but primarily, which is what this initiative is really about, to trade, to create goods in the continent that we can trade within the continent,” she said.
Sidiropoulos said aside from trying to advance the economies of developing countries, BRICS is also about reforming the current multilateral system which “does not necessarily advance the interests of the global South.”
At the last BRICS summit, hosted virtually by Beijing, Ramaphosa took aim at the West, saying that during the COVID-19 pandemic rich nations did not adhere to “the principles of solidarity and cooperation when it comes to equitable access to vaccines.”
As well as an economic force, BRICS — which includes three democracies but also communist China and authoritarian Russia — is increasing a political force that positions itself as an alternative to the U.S.-led liberal world order.
Only Brazil voted against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine at the United Nations last year, while the other members abstained. South Africa, as the continent’s foremost democracy, was widely criticized for taking a neutral stance on the conflict.
And it looks like BRICS might soon expand. Saudi Arabia is reportedly interested in joining the bloc, as are Iran, Algeria and Argentina.
