JOHANNESBURG: Twenty-two countries from around the globe have applied to join the BRICS bloc and more have shown interest, South Africa said on Thursday, ahead of the five-nation group’s summit next month.

       BRICS, a loosely-defined group which sees itself as a counterweight to Western economic domination, derives its name from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The bloc has previously indicated it is open to expansion.

       “Twenty-two countries have formally approached BRICS countries to become (a) full member of BRICS, there’s an equal number of countries that have been informally asking about becoming BRICS members,” South Africa’s ambassador-at-large for Asia and the BRICS, Anil Sooklal, told media in Johannesburg.

       He listed Iran, Argentina, Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia among nations that have expressed an interest.

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       Growing interest in the bloc is not new but reflects the “confidence” in the work that BRICS has been “championing” over nearly a decade and a half, he said.

       BRICS is not only “a power force ... in trying to change the faultlines in terms of global politics, but it is also changing what is happening in the economic space globally,” he said.

       “The current global architecture continues to be unequal, continues to marginalise developing countries... and continues to be dominated by a few hegemons. We don’t want such a world. We want a world where our voices are heard,” he said.

       South Africa will host the BRICS summit in Johannesburg between August 22-24 to which a total of 69 countries have been invited, including all African states.

       Published in Dawn, July 21st, 2023