MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Agreement reached on principles for adding members to BRICS

“We have agreed on the issue of enlargement,” Pandor said in a radio interview

A document outlining the guidelines for the addition of new members to the BRICS bloc was signed Wednesday in Johannesburg during the group's XV Summit, South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor announced. Over 20 countries have expressed their interest in joining the alliance, which could entail significant changes in the current world order.

“We have agreed on the issue of enlargement. And we have a document adopted that sets out guidelines of principles and processes for considering countries that wish to become members of BRICS,” Pandor said in a radio interview.

Read also: Argentina is invited to join BRICS along with six other countries

In her words, the bloc's leaders will present more details on the expansion of the group of countries before the conclusion of the 15th BRICS Summit being held in South Africa. The event ends on Aug. 24.

Pandor said she had received “formal expressions of interest” from 23 countries, including Argentina, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Bolivia, Cuba, Honduras, Venezuela, Algeria, and Indonesia.

Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed the “growing enthusiasm of developing countries” for the bloc and the fact that “many have asked to join BRICS cooperation.”

Also agreeing on welcoming new members was India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had not opposed the expansion of the group, but had insisted on the need for the five countries of the bloc (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) to discuss the matter internally.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva recalled that the last enlargement of the group, with the entry of South Africa in 2010, strengthened the BRICS and allowed the bloc to “better reflect the new configuration of world power.” Lula also insisted that “it was very important for Argentina to be in the BRICS.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin also expressed his support for the initiative through videoconference due to an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against him for alleged war crimes in Ukraine.

The bloc accounts for more than 42% of the world's population and 30% of the planet's territory, as well as 23% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 18% of world trade.