A Southeast Asian country becomes the newest member of BRICS

The Brazilian government announced on January 6 that Indonesia officially joined the BRICS bloc of emerging economies as a full member.

Brazil, which holds the BRICS presidency in 2025, said member states approved Indonesia's accession by consensus as part of an enlargement move adopted at the bloc's 2023 summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, according to Reuters.

Brazil noted that Indonesia’s bid was given the green light by BRICS in 2023, but the Southeast Asian nation requested membership after last year’s presidential election. Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto took office in October 2024.

Southeast Asian country Indonesia becomes BRICS member

"Indonesia shares with other members of the group its support for the reform of global governance institutions and actively contributes to strengthening cooperation in the Global South," the Brazilian government stressed.

Previously, in October 2024, Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono emphasized: "Indonesia's accession to BRICS demonstrates the country's independent and proactive foreign policy. That does not mean we join a certain bloc, but we actively participate in every forum."

Plenary session at the BRICS summit in Kazan (Russia) on October 24, 2024

Mr. Sugiono then emphasized that BRICS fits with President Prabowo's important government programs, "especially on food and energy security, poverty reduction and human resource development."

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said more than 30 countries have expressed interest in joining BRICS, although it remains unclear how this expansion will take place.

Current members of BRICS include Russia, China, Brazil, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Iran, South Africa and the UAE.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/mot-quoc-gia-dong-nam-a-tro-thanh-thanh-vien-moi-nhat-cua-brics-185250107093454784.htm