Colombia's president states his country wants to join BRICS
The Latin American country would like to become part of the association "as soon as possible"
Colombian President Gustavo Petro expressed his country's interest in joining BRICS. He said this during talks with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
"President Gustavo Petro expressed Colombia's interest in joining BRICS as a full member as soon as possible. President Lula da Silva welcomed this initiative and is committed to advancing Colombia's candidacy," said a statement on the talks published Wednesday on the Brazilian government website.
BRICS is currently made up of 10 nations. Since its founding in 2006, the group has gone through two waves of expansion. In 2011, South Africa joined the original line-up of Brazil, Russia, India and China, and in August 2023 invited six new members: Egypt, Iran, Argentina, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Ethiopia. Argentina subsequently declined to join the group and the five remaining countries became part of the group from 1 January 2024.
Photo: iStock-
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![Xi Jinping]()
Xi JinpingPresident of the People’s Republic of China"The foundation of our bilateral relations will only grow stronger, and we will confidently move forward to a better future. […] The striving of nations on our planet for peace, development, cooperation and mutual benefit remains unchanged. The vital mission of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation is to maintain stability and promote the development of our region" -
![Alisher Salomov]()
Alisher SalomovAdviser to the Chairman of the National Committee for Ecology and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan"First and foremost, I would like to highlight the importance of this Central Asia–Russia initiative, because environmental problems know no borders, and only a shared understanding of these problems and the search for joint solutions can deliver positive results" -
![Joao Paulo Capobianco]()
Joao Paulo CapobiancoBrazilian Minister of the Environment and Climate Change"The BRICS countries have a very high level of responsibility because they share an important part of the world's biodiversity, landscapes, populations, food production and water resources. So, we have an opportunity to lead by example. We have our development bank, which can demonstrate and develop new ways of financing programmes. We can reduce the risks for private capital to invest in restoration and efforts to combat desertification" -
![Dilma Rousseff]()
Dilma RousseffPresident of the New Development Bank"India’s BRICS Presidency this year gives special significance to our discussion. NDB stands ready to be a trusted partner in turning commitments on sustainability, clean energy, smart and resilient infrastructure into concrete results on the ground. […] For NDB, mobilising private capital is a strategic imperative. Created by the BRICS founding members, NDB is a bank of the Global South, for the Global South, mandated to mobilise resources for infrastructure and sustainable development" -
![Sihasak Phuangketkeow]()
Sihasak PhuangketkeowDeputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand"BRICS can play a very important role in maintaining the free flow of trade and investment. The group can also be a vehicle for all of us to engage and to look at economic opportunities"
