“Azerbaijan has filed an official application for joining BRICS,” Azerbaijan’s Report news agency quoted him as saying.

Baku’s intention to join BRICS was reflected in a joint declaration on strategic partnership between Azerbaijan and China, which was signed on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Astana in early July. Apart from that, Azerbaijani parliament speaker Sakhiba Gafarova said at a plenary session of the 10th BRICS Parliamentary Forum in St. Petersburg on July 11 that her country wants to be a full-fledged BRICS member.

BRICS is a major economic alliance of nations of the Global South, founded by Russia, China, India, and Brazil, with South Africa joining later. Recently, BRICS has undergone a major expansion with the addition of several new members.

The BRICS group of emerging economies has welcomed 2024 by officially adding five developing nations.

Specifically, the bloc introduced Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Iran, Egypt, and Ethiopia to kick off the new year.

Last year, the BRICS economic alliance has flourished. In what was undoubtedly a year of growth, the bloc fast-tracked a host of initiatives. Those range from its de-dollarization plans to its first-ever expansion bid. The latter of which is finally set to be made official.

Indeed, the BRICS alliance has welcomed 2024 by officially adding five expansion nations to its ranks. Specifically, it introduced Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Iran, Egypt, and Ethiopia to be the first countries to constitute expansion since South Africa was added more than a decade ago.

The expansion is set to have massive geopolitical ramifications, as they could be hugely important to its multipolar goals.

mp/pr