During a media briefing on Thursday, the Pakistan Foreign Office officially confirmed that the country had made a formal request to join the BRICS grouping of countries.
The confirmation came a day after the Russian TASS news agency reported that Pakistan sought to join the grouping in 2024 and was counting on Russia’s assistance for the membership.
Official Confirmation
“Yes, I can confirm that Pakistan has made a formal request to join BRICS, which we believe is an important grouping of developing countries,” Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said during a media briefing.
“Pakistan enjoys friendly ties with most of the members of BRICS, as well as the newly invited group of countries,” she stated. Baloch emphasised that Pakistan is an ardent supporter of multilateralism and a member of several multilateral organisations. She said the country has played an important role in global peace and development.
Pakistan has filed an official request to join the BRICS group of nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), Pakistani Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch has told reporters:https://t.co/H0A0kJkZU7 pic.twitter.com/vCJupwN7oC
— TASS (@tassagency_en) November 23, 2023
“Pakistan is an important developing country and has made important contributions in promoting peace, solidarity and cooperation among countries of the south,” she remarked. The spokesperson said the decision was taken after noting the BRICS-related developments in Johannesburg and its “proclaimed openness to inclusive multilateralism.”
“We believe by joining BRICS, Pakistan can play an important role in furthering international cooperation and revitalisation of inclusive multilateralism. We also hope that BRICS will move forward on Pakistan’s request in line with its commitment to inclusive multilateralism,” she highlighted.
Russian Support, BRICS Expansion
Pakistan’s newly appointed ambassador to Russia, Muhammad Khalid Jamali, first made the matter public on 22 November in an interview. He said that Islamabad had applied for the membership and was planning to join the group next year. “Pakistan would like to be part of this important organisation, and we are in the process of contacting member countries for extending support to Pakistan’s membership in general and the Russian Federation in particular,” Jamali said.
In October, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said that BRICS was shortlisting names as it plans to give partner-state status to some nations in the upcoming summit in Kazan in 2024.
#Pakistan has submitted a request to become a member of the #BRICS group of nations in 2024, with the expectation of receiving support from Russia throughout the membership application process.https://t.co/dEpI39qUkK
— Mint (@livemint) November 22, 2023
During its inception in 2009, Brazil, Russia, India and China were the members of the grouping, then known as BRIC. It was renamed BRICS in 2010 when South Africa became a member. The five-member group saw the most extensive overhaul this year in August with the announcement that six new members will be added to it starting 1 January 2024. The newly approved members include Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
While the expansion is yet to materialise in full measure, Argentina might ditch its plans to join BRICS. The speculation comes as Diana Mondino, the principal adviser on foreign affairs to the newly elected libertarian President Javier Milei, recently asserted that Argentina would not proceed with plans to join the grouping.