BRICS Expands with Six New Nations and Belarus as Partner on August 24, 2023

Nov 11, 2024, 09:47 AM

On August 24, 2023, BRICS, the economic alliance between Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, announced a significant expansion by inviting six more nations—Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE—to join. This expansion is seen as a major development under the Biden administration. Additionally, Belarus has officially become a BRICS partner, a mandatory step before full membership, as reported by the Belarusian Foreign Ministry. With Iran joining BRICS and Belarus and Cuba gaining partner country status, the group is expanding its axis of sanctioned countries, which will be a key issue on the BRICS Plus agenda.