‘A Third Of Those Invited Sabotage ‘Expanding’ BRICS Summit’
- 12.10.2024, 15:38
What did not go according to the Kremlin's plan?
A third of the invited heads of state refused to go to the BRICS summit in Russia. This was reported by the Kremlin. Invitations were sent to 38 countries. However, only 24 confirmed their attendance at the highest level.
In particular, the head of one of the members of the association, the King of Saudi Arabia, will not come, FREEDOM reports.
The 16th BRICS summit will be held in Kazan from October 22 to 24. Its main topic is the expansion of the bloc. On January 1, 2024, Egypt, Iran, the UAE and Ethiopia joined the organization. In addition, since the beginning of the year, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Malaysia and Syria have applied for membership. Several countries in Africa, Latin America and the Middle East have announced closer cooperation.
The Taliban terrorist movement, which is in power in Afghanistan, has also applied to participate in the summit. Experts say that Moscow is behind the saturation of BRICS with anti-Western countries.
“It is obvious from the geography of members and candidates that BRICS is no longer just an organization pursuing economic interests, and it is certainly not only about trading oil and other energy resources. This is an association of countries of the so-called global South, the concept of which is actively promoted by the Russian Federation in its confrontation with the global West. In this way, it is trying, firstly, to promote its long-standing concept of a “multipolar world”, and secondly, to legitimize terrorist regimes as “respected partners and players in the international arena,” commented Oleksandr Demchenko, a consultant for the Ukrainian Center for Initiatives of the PZ on the “Militarny” portal.
However, the expansion of BRICS is not beneficial for the entire bloc, experts point out. All decisions within the association are made by consensus. After accepting applications from Syria, Turkey, Malaysia and Azerbaijan, the number of countries will increase to 13. In addition, Turkey may become the first country of the North Atlantic Alliance in BRICS, and the bloc will not be able to have an anti-NATO orientation. Analysts believe that as the association expands, it loses its original meaning.
— In fact, it does not seem that these states are united by anything other than a common anti-Western orientation. And when someone unites not for something, but against something, such associations are unlikely to be very long-lasting and promising in the context of their development. These are quite different states, often with very contradictory interests. And sooner or later, these contradictions will still appear in politics, — says Doctor of Political Sciences, Professor of the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv Petro Oleshchuk.
But Moscow will not be able to turn BRICS into a completely subordinate bloc either. Russia's share in the global economy is about 3%. This is 2.5 times less than India's and more than 6 times less than China's. Experts believe that in this situation, Russia will not be able to dictate its terms in BRICS.
— In any case, in an association in which China and Russia are present, Russia will not be the main one. But Russia may well pretend that it is laying claim to some kind of alternative policy, that it is some kind of alternative decision-making center. Tactically, this may be quite advantageous for China: that there is such a global bully that can be controlled, can be directed in one way or another, while receiving some benefits from this, — noted Petro Oleshchuk.
BRICS will not be able to become an alternative to the West in economic terms either. Earlier, the association announced the introduction of a common currency, which was supposed to put an end to the hegemony of the dollar. But, as the head of the Russian Ministry of Finance Anton Siluanov stated, this issue will not be considered at the upcoming BRICS summit. Instead, he said, the countries would focus on creating a joint financial settlement and payment system.