Thailand willing to join BRICS 'as soon as possible': FM

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
12 Jun 2024 21:58
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The Thai Foreign Minister says his country is willing to "play an active role" in the economic bloc.

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Foreign Affairs Minister Maris Sangiampongsa delivers a statement at a meeting of BRICS foreign ministers in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia on Tuesday, June 11, 2024 (Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

Thailand is ready to join BRICS "as soon as possible" and become more engaged in the region and with China, Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa said on Wednesday.

Late last month, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin's government approved a draft letter expressing Bangkok's intention to join the bloc of emerging economies.

Maris' comments came during a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of the BRICS foreign ministers’ summit.

“Thailand is willing to join the BRICS mechanism as soon as possible, (and) play a more active role in South-South cooperation, and strengthen coordination and cooperation with China on multilateral platforms,” he told Wang.

Russia presided over the BRICS annual summit of 2024 succeeding South Africa.

Earlier this week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov opened the two-day BRICS foreign ministers' meeting as its chair in the Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod from June 10 to 11.

It marked the first meeting after the bloc was joined by new members – Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, with its original members being Russia, China, India, Brazil, and South Africa.

The attendees discussed “international relations, improvement of the global governance system with emphasis on strengthening the role of developing countries, conflict resolution, and interaction in leading multilateral platforms," Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova said earlier this week.

The BRICS leaders' summit is scheduled to be held in Russia's Kazan from October 22-24.