Venezuela claims de facto membership in BRICS, awaits formal acceptance

Venezuela is essentially already a member of BRICS, with the formal accession being just a matter of procedure, according to Venezuelan Foreign Minister Ivan Gil Pinto.

“We can say that Venezuela is effectively joining BRICS. Our ministers are actively participating in BRICS meetings, commissions, information exchanges, and foreign ministers' summits,” Gil Pinto stated in an interview with foreign media, as per Caliber.Az.

He emphasized that Venezuela is already within the BRICS orbit and that the formal steps for accession will depend on the organization’s procedures.

The Venezuelan Foreign Minister highlighted that BRICS is currently in an expansion phase and mentioned that Caracas has secured the support of all current member countries for its accession.

“Venezuela is actively working towards accession. President Nicolás Maduro has been invited by Russian President Vladimir Putin to the upcoming BRICS summit in October,” Gil Pinto noted.

However, he did not confirm whether Maduro would attend the XVI BRICS+ summit, scheduled to be held in Kazan from October 22-24.

Founded in 2006, BRICS is an intergovernmental organization comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, with recent expansions to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates.

The organization was initially formed by Brazil, Russia, India, and China as BRIC in 2006, with South Africa joining in 2010, transforming it into BRICS. The group aims to unite the world's key developing countries to challenge the political and economic dominance of the wealthier nations in North America and Western Europe.