Iran has submitted an application to become a member in the group of emerging economies known as the BRICS, an Iranian official said on Monday.
Iran’s membership in the BRICS group, which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, “would result in added values for both sides," Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said separately that Argentina had also applied to join the group. Argentinian officials have not commented so far.
Argentina’s President Alberto Fernandez, currently in Europe, has in recent days reiterated his desire for Argentina to join BRICS.
“While the White House was thinking about what else to turn off in the world, ban or spoil, Argentina and Iran applied to join the BRICS,” Zakharova wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
Russia has long been pushing to forge closer ties with Asia, South America and the Middle East, but it has intensified its efforts recently to weather sanctions imposed by Europe, the United States and other countries over its invasion of Ukraine.
Iran eager to join
The spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry announced at a press conference on Monday that the Islamic Republic has submitted its application for membership in the BRICS.
A series of consultations have been held in this regard, Saeed Khatibzadeh added.
He said although the BRICS is not a treaty or an international agreement, it has been based on a very creative mechanism with broad aspects.
The spokesman noted that the BRICS members make up 30 percent of the world’s gross production and 40 percent of the world’s population.
He expressed hope that Iran’s membership in the BRICS would result in “added values” for both sides.
Addressing a virtual summit of the BRICS Business Forum, which was attended by the group’s top leaders on Friday, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi expressed the country’s readiness to share its vast capabilities and potentials to help the BRICS attain its goals.
(with inputs from agencies)
