Colombia's president states his country wants to join BRICS

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.