Cuba was admitted as BRICS associated countrythe economic bloc led by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, and which in October had added Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia and Iran. The island’s inclusion takes place at a time when it is going through a severe economic and social crisis. The Cuban president Miguel Diaz-Canel maintained that this membership has been achieved despite the “imperial efforts” for isolating Havana. The largest of the Antilles thus joins a “new instance of consultation and cooperation that brings together significant economic, productive, technological, population, territorial and great natural wealth potential.”
Cuba’s entry into the BRICS had been agreed at the Kazan summit, held last October. Vladimir Putin has not been immune to this opening towards a country of little economic relevance in the world, but which has significant geopolitical value for Moscow. Bolivia has also benefited from the admission policy of the group that produces 34% of the world’s GDP. On that occasion, the Brazilian vote closed the door to Venezuela. This decision deepened the political distance between Nicolás Maduro and Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, accentuated by the decision of the Venezuelan electoral authorities not to release the minutes that validated the current president’s supposed victory at the polls.
Brazil has assumed the presidency of the bloc, With which the distinction between Havana and Caracas offers another perspective of the disagreements between Lula and Maduro. The Brazilian Government set out to strengthen BRICS relations with the countries of the global south and deepen the discussion on the development of alternative payment methods to the dollar for trade between the members of the bloc. This commercial vein could benefit a Cuba that this year will have a new drop in its economy, approximately two points. The Díaz-Canel Government itself highlighted that there is a “possibility of trading with local currencies within the BRICS”,
Cuban authorities usually explain the economic debacle as a direct consequence of North American sanctions. Integration into this bloc is a way to compensate for its difficulty in accessing other markets. “With all member countries we develop very good relations and share similar purposes”said Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez. The BRICS, he added, “is an instance that opens up new commercial, investment and cooperation opportunities, which we must know how to take advantage of.”
The Bolivian president, Luis Arce, also immersed in his own political crisis, also welcomed the news. “In a world full of uncertainty due to the transition to a new global order, Being part of this block allows us to diversify and protect our assets, becoming a relevant player within an investment platform in emerging economies with immense potential.”
