Five New Countries, Including Saudi Arabia And Iran, Formally Join BRICS
Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates formally joined the BRICS group on Monday, January 1, 2024, Russian president Vladimir Putin announced in a statement issued on the occasion of his country taking over the presidency of the group.
The five countries and Argentina were invited to join BRICS as full members during its August summit in Johannesburg, South Africa. Argentina however, formally declined the offer last week. Its newly elected ultra right-wing president Javier Milei said that his country would rather align with the countries in the West such as the US and Israel.