Brazil announces Indonesia as new member of BRICS

BRASILIA: Brazil, currently presiding over the BRICS group in 2025, has announced that Indonesia has become a full member of the bloc. Brazil said that Indonesia's candidature was endorsed by leaders of the bloc at the Johannesburg summit in 2023.

In an official statement, the Brazilian Foreign Ministry welcomed Indonesia's entry into the BRICS group. The ministry emphasised that Indonesia, along with other BRICS members, advocates for the reform of global governance institutions. The statement highlighted Indonesia's status as the largest economy and most populous nation in Southeast Asia, and its significant contribution to the deepening of Global South cooperation. These priorities are in alignment with Brazil's theme for its presidency, "Enhancing Global South Cooperation for a More Inclusive and Sustainable Governance."

The Indonesian government formally notified the group of its interest in joining BRICS following the establishment of its new government. By 2024, the BRICS nations had approved Indonesia's membership by consensus, adhering to the guiding principles, criteria, and procedures for expansion established at the Johannesburg summit.

The formal BRIC grouping began after a meeting of leaders from Russia, India, and China in St Petersburg on the margins of the G8 Outreach Summit in 2006. This was further solidified during the first meeting of BRIC Foreign Ministers on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York the same year.

The inaugural BRIC Summit was held in Yekaterinburg, Russia, in 2009. Subsequently, it was decided to expand BRIC to BRICS with the inclusion of South Africa, formalised during the BRIC Foreign Ministers' meeting in New York in 2010. South Africa attended the 3rd BRICS Summit in Sanya in 2011.

By RSS/ANI

In 2024, the BRICS group saw a further expansion with the inclusion of five new members: Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. The 16th BRICS Summit was held under Russia's chairmanship in Kazan in 2024.