Azerbaijan officially applies for BRICS membership

Azerbaijan has officially applied to join the BRICS group.

Aykhan Hajizada, a spokesman for the Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry, confirmed Azerbaijan's interest in becoming a member of the influential economic bloc, Caliber.Az reports per local media.

Azerbaijan applied to join the BRICS group, following its recent strategic partnership with China.

This move comes after the adoption of the “Joint Declaration of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the People’s Republic of China on the establishment of a strategic partnership” on July 3, during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Astana. As stated in paragraph 4.5 of the declaration, Azerbaijan expresses its desire to join the BRICS, and China welcomes Azerbaijan’s participation in BRICS cooperation.

BRICS, established in 2006, is an intergovernmental organization that includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. The group has since expanded to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates.

In 2006, Brazil, Russia, India and China created the BRIC group. South Africa joined in 2010, making it BRICS.

The group was designed to bring together the world's most important developing countries, to challenge the political and economic power of the wealthier nations of North America and Western Europe.