The foreign ministers of the BRICS countries are due to meet in South Africa on Thursday as the five-nation bloc seeks to transform itself into a counterweight to Western geopolitical dominance following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The talks are a prelude to an August summit in Johannesburg which has already sparked controversy over the possible presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the subject of an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC).
In March he was charged with the war crime of forcibly expelling children from Russian-occupied territory in Ukraine. Moscow denies the allegations. South Africa had already invited Putin in January.
South African officials confirmed that the foreign ministers of Brazil, Russia, India and South Africa will attend Thursday’s meeting in Cape Town. A deputy minister represents China.
No agenda has been released, but analysts said the discussions aimed to deepen ties between members and consider expanding the group.
“The BRICs are positioning themselves as an alternative to the West and as a way to open a space for emerging powers,” said Cobus van Staden of the South African Institute of International Affairs.
Once seen as a vague and largely symbolic association of several emerging economies, the BRICs have taken on a more concrete form in recent years, initially led by Beijing and, since the start of the war in Ukraine in February 2022, with further momentum from Moscow.
Discussions over the BRICS’ New Development Bank, which has stopped funding projects in Russia to comply with sanctions imposed against the country, were expected on Thursday, a South African foreign ministry source said.
Amid growing geopolitical polarization resulting from the war in Ukraine, BRICS leaders have declared themselves open to admitting new members, including oil-producing countries.
Venezuela, Argentina, Iran, Algeria, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are on a list of those who have formally applied to join or have expressed interest, officials said.
“If they can lead the oil-producing countries, it will be crucial given the petrodollar system,” said William Gumede, a South African political analyst who writes extensively on the BRICS.
Source: Terra
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