- Sahara Plus / Agencies
Yesterday, the work of the 15th meetings of the BRICS group began in Johannesburg, South Africa, amid expectations that members will consider applications for accession from more than 20 countries, and discuss projects to promote investment in Africa.
The South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said in his opening speech that the BRICS economies have been able to draw broad lines for the development of their future relations, in pursuit of the prosperity of their peoples.
Ramaphosa stated that achieving the economic well-being of the peoples of the member states “represents the biggest goal of this bloc, by expanding the area of investments in our economies… There is a growth in the members’ investments within the bloc countries.” The members of the group consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa seek to strengthen the bloc as part of efforts to establish a new global economic order, and to increase the danger to the Group of Seven.
Ramaphosa confirmed that the countries of the African continent are required to immediately stop exporting wealth abroad in its raw state, adding: “What is required is the export of final products to global markets.”
He added, “Renewable energy, infrastructure, communications, digitization and technology, construction, and transportation are projects with high added value in Africa.” Prior to the start of the BRICS summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping praised his country’s relations with South Africa, and pledged to push them to a “new level”, during his meeting with Ramaphosa in the capital, Pretoria. “Today, as we stand at a new historical starting point, deepening cooperation and strengthening coordination constitute the common aspirations of our two countries and the solemn tasks entrusted to us,” Xi said. “The key to good relations between China and South Africa and their deep friendship lies in the fact that the two countries share weal and woe on their respective development paths,” he added.
He confirmed that he is “ready to work with Ramaphosa, to push the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and South Africa to a new level.” In turn, Russian President Vladimir Putin said, in recorded remarks to the BRICS summit, that the group is on its way to meeting the aspirations of most of the world’s population. He added: “We cooperate on the basis of the principles of equality, support for partnership and respect for each other’s interests, and this is the essence of the strategic path of our group and (it is a path) directed towards the future, and it is the path that meets the aspirations of the largest part of the global community .. the so-called global majority.” He confirmed that the sanctions impede Russian food supplies and bank payments, strongly emphasized that abandoning the dollar as a global currency is an irreversible process.
The BRICS members represent more than 40% of the world’s population. The summit is expected to discuss adding new members, but Putin did not address this issue. This will be high on the agenda of the main summit meeting, which will be held in the Sandton Financial District Johannesburg on Wednesday. More than 20 countries have applied to join the bloc, according to South African officials, including Saudi Arabia, Iran and the UAE.
The five BRICS countries will have to agree on criteria for new members before accepting any country, but expanding BRICS membership is seen as a policy favored by China and Russia amid deteriorating relations with the West. Investment in and development of Africa is one of the main axes discussed by the members of the bloc in the current session, as the meetings are held under the slogan “BRICS and Africa,” according to what was announced by South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor. “BRICS” bloc came out into the open in 2006, and held its first meeting in 2009 and includes the countries of China, Brazil, Russia, India and South Africa, and considers itself an alternative to Western economic domination.
