The United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and Egypt are among six nations that have received invitations to join the BRICS consortium. The additional trio of nations extended the invite includes Argentina, Iran, and Ethiopia.
The BRICS summit, spanning three days, primarily revolved around talks regarding the expansion of the group. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa made the announcement on Thursday morning, reaching a final verdict.
The new inclusion of members is slated to take effect starting January 1, 2024, according to Arabian Business.
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, expressed his endorsement of the decision through a post on X, formerly recognized as Twitter.
The UAE President posted: “We respect the vision of the BRICS leadership and appreciate the inclusion of the UAE as a member to this important group.”
UAE Delegation Attends Summit
“We look forward to a continued commitment of cooperation for the prosperity, dignity and benefit of all nations and people around the world.”
Ramaphosa told a joint media briefing: “As five BRICS countries, we have reached an agreement on the guiding principles, standards, criteria, and procedures on the BRICS expansion process which has been in discussion for quite a while.”
“We have consensus on the first phase of this expansion process and other phases will follow.”
Representing Sheikh Zayed, a prominent UAE representative attended the gathering in Johannesburg. Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, holding the position of Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, led the delegation.
The group comprised Sheikh Shakhboot bin Nahyan Al Nahyan, Minister of State; Reem Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Cooperation; Mahash Saeed Al Hameli, UAE Ambassador to South Africa; and various senior officials.
The primary focal points for the UAE delegation encompassed discussions pertaining to the expansion of BRICS membership and the deliberation of numerous global economic matters.
