papuachronicle.co – Moskow. Starting January 1st, 2025, Russian Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov announced that Indonesia will officially become a partner country of BRICS.
Alongside Indonesia, eight other countries—Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Thailand, Cuba, Uganda, Malaysia, and Uzbekistan—will also attain BRICS partner status on the same date, as reported by antaranews.com on Tuesday (24/12/2024).
“Leading up to the BRICS Summit in Kazan, we received 35 membership applications. One of the summit’s key achievements was creating the ‘BRICS Partner Countires’ category,” he explained during a press briefing.
Out of the 13 countries formally applying for membership, nine, including Indonesia, have confirmed their agreement to join as partners. Ushakov noted that over 20 countries have expressed interest in BRICS, reflecting the bloc’s growing appeal.
The October 2024 BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, drew 41 delegations from 30 countries and six international organizations.
Established in 2009 by Brazil, Russia, India, and China, with South Africa joining in 2011, BRICS expanded last year to include Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the UAE, yet retains its original name.