Ministers still working on policy to allow expansion of BRICS participants

Record ID: 1727404

  • Title: Ministers still working on policy to allow expansion of BRICS participants
  • Date: 1st June 2023
  • Summary: CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA (JUNE 1, 2023) (REUTERS) ***WARNING: CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** BRICS FOREIGN MINISTERS ENTERING ROOM AND TAKING THEIR SEATS / FOREIGN MINISTERS (LEFT TO RIGHT): CHINESE VICE FOREIGN MINISTER MA ZHAOXU; BRAZILIAN FOREIGN MINISTER MAURO VIEIRA; SOUTH AFRICAN FOREIGN MINISTER NALEDI PANDOR; RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER SERGEI LAVROV; AND INDIAN FOREIGN MINISTER SUBRAHMANYAM JAISHANKAR (SOUNDBITE) (English) SOUTH AFRICAN FOREIGN MINISTER NALEDI PANDOR SAYING: “Looking at institutional development of BRICS, or, expansion, we have concluded that we haven’t as yet got what we believe is a useful document that we could place before the heads of state, so, more work will need to be done on this matter, it is still to be processed, and once we have a document that we believe offers clear guidance, we will then take that to the summit in August.” PANDOR AND RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER SERGEI LAVROV (SOUNDBITE) (English) SOUTH AFRICAN FOREIGN MINISTER NALEDI PANDOR SAYING: “We had one of the senior executives of the New Development Bank (NDB) briefing our meeting on work that the bank has been doing, looking at the potential use of alternative currencies to the current internationally traded currencies, and looking at how we strengthen the arm of the BRICS development bank, and also ensure that we do not become victim to sanctions that have secondary effects on countries that have no involvement in issues that have led to those unilateral sanctions, so, certainly, this was discussed, and it is work that is being considered by the officials of the NDB and will be guided to them as to what the future models might be.” (SOUNDBITE) (English) SPOKESPERSON TO THE SOUTH AFRICAN DEPARTMENT OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND COOPERATION, CLAYSON MONYELA, SAYING: “These immunities that have been gazetted do not override any warrant that may be issued by any international tribunal against any attendee of any of these conferences that we’re talking about.” FOREIGN MINISTERS SITTING / JOURNALISTS (SOUNDBITE) (English) VICE FOREIGN MINISTER OF CHINA, MA ZHAOXU, SAYING: “I believe the enlargements of the BRICS will be beneficial to the BRICS countries, beneficial to developing countries, and to increase the representation influence of this mechanism, and also to garner bigger power of the BRICS to serve the interest of developing countries and emerging market economies, as well as the international development course.” NEWS CONFERENCE ENDING / FOREIGN MINISTERS STANDING UP TO LEAVE
  • Embargoed: 15th June 2023 21:53
  • Keywords: BRAZIL BRICS CHINA DIPLOMACY FOREIGN POLICY INDIA POLITICS RUSSIA SOUTH AFRICA
  • Location: CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA
  • City: CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA
  • Country: South Africa
  • Topics: Africa,Diplomacy/Foreign Policy,Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA001678901062023RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:BRICS foreign ministers on Thursday (June 1) asserted their bloc's ambition to rival Western powers but their talks in South Africa were overshadowed by questions over whether Russia's president would be arrested if he attended a summit in August.
    The ministers also discussed plans to potentially admit new members to the club. South Africa's foreign minister Naledi Pandor said more work was needed to make that possible and she hoped a report on the matter would be ready by the August summit.
    China's Vice Minister Ma Zhaoxu said his country was happy about the prospect of more countries joining BRICS as it would increase the influence of the bloc and give it more power to serve the interests of developing countries.
    Once viewed as a loose association of disparate emerging economies, BRICS has in recent years taken more concrete shape, driven initially by Beijing and, since the start of the Ukraine war in February 2022, with added impetus from Moscow.
    Iran's Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud were both present in Cape Town to participate in the BRICS meeting, which continues on Friday (June 2).
    Their two countries, along with Venezuela, Argentina, Algeria and the United Arab Emirates are among those that have either formally applied to join BRICS or expressed interest, officials said.
    (Production: Shafiek Tassiem, Catherine Schenck)
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