The special advisor of the Presidency of the Republic, Celso Amorim, indicated this Saturday, the 10th, in Moscow that the BRICS countries can open some exception to expand the size of the group again. He argued, however, that new adhesions do not occur now.
“BRICS has to be consolidated as it is. It has one exception or another, I don’t know yet as it will be, but it has to be consolidated basically with its size,” said Amorim. “Every time you want to create a very large group cohesion is very difficult, so you can’t make decisions. I think BRICS is in the right size,” said Celso Amorim.
Brazilian diplomats involved in the preparation of the emerging group summit, to be headquartered in Rio in July, were rejecting another expansion. A new expansion did not enter the official agenda proposed by Brazil. But an ambassador involved said that “everything can happen when it comes to BRICS.” The group has informal governance.
They are currently full members: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, and recently incorporated Saudi Arabia, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Indonesia and Iran. They are partners: Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakh, Cuba, Malaysia, Nigeria, Tailândia Uganda and Uzbekistan.
The latest extensions, in 2023 (full) and 2024 (partners), were sponsored by China and Russia, which is grudgingly from Brazil. Diplomacy understands that the big block loses cohesion and that the country could see its protagonism diluted.
The very expansion of the members created obstacles to what had already been agreed before and now there is an effort of institutional adaptation, formalization of rules and even the caster in the presidency of the bloc.
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The entry of more members has had a negative effect: at last year’s summit disagreements between African countries led to withdrawal from the list of three countries, including Brazil, which were supported to enter UN Security Council.
In 2023, they were invited to become Saudi Arabia members, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Indonesia and Iran. Indonesia only formalized this year. And Argentina, also invited, ruled out. Saudi Arabia participates with lower political representatives and has not yet formalized adhesion.
After 2024, nine countries entered the smaller association status (Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda and Uzbekistan), a total of 13 invited “partners”.
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There is dissatisfaction about their engagement and the planned space. Initially, the “partners” were invited only to the redo of chancers and leaders and are not entitled to veto. The group is guided by the consensus rule.
Two countries that are insisting on entering the bloc are Turkey and Venezuela. Turkey ordered a ticket as a member, but received an invitation to partner last year. And Venezuela, in turn, had the intended access as a partner vetoed by Brazil – Lula and dictator Nicolás Maduro live a moment of political strangeness.
Asked by Estadão, if the Lula government would now unlock Chavista’s access, Amorim said that “it doesn’t have to, because there is nothing blocked.” The newspaper found that authorities in the Venezuelan capital reiterated to Brazil the interest of participating.
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Amorim, however, said there is no reason to approach Caracas, except economic opportunities, the issue of refugees and a formal relationship of state, etc.
In April, Russian Chancellor Serguei Lavrov also defended the continuity of “very soon” expansion and argued that partner members would have priority to become members.
