Bolivia announces plan to join BRICS and attend summit this month
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The Bolivian foreign minister confirms that the country's President Luis Alberto Arce officially notified the bloc on June 12 of the intention.
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In this March 3, 2017 file photo, a woman and a child ride a cable car that interconnects the city El Alto, Bolivia (AP Photo/Juan Karita, File)
In a declaration on Monday, Bolivian Foreign Minister Rogelio Mayta announced his country's intention to join BRICS and participate in the summit due this month from August 22 to 24 in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Mayta took to Twitter to say: "Bolivia will take part in the BRICS summit in Johannesburg... There our president will present a model of economic, social, industrial development of Bolivia," as he added that the country's President Luis Alberto Arce officially notified the bloc on June 12 of the intention.
Bolivia participará en la 15 Cumbre de los BRICS en Johannesburgo sobre "Asociación para un Crecimiento Mutuo Acelerado, Desarrollo Sostenible y Multilateralismo Inclusivo". Ahí, nuestro Presidente expondrá el Modelo Económico, Social, Comunitario y Productivo de Bolivia.
— Rogelio Mayta (@RogelioMayta_Bo) July 31, 2023
This comes a mere two days after the leader of South Africa's opposition party, Julius Malema called on the leaders of China, India, and Brazil to boycott the BRICS summit in solidarity with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who will not be attending in person.
As Putin is the target of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant, it was confirmed earlier this month that he wouldn't participate physically.
French President Emmanuel Macron wasn't careful about what he wished for, either, as he was not issued an invitation to attend the activities of the next BRICS meeting after he requested it.
Read more: Algeria applies to BRICS amid Western fears of post-WWII bodies fate
Anil Sooklal, BRICS' ambassador from South Africa, revealed late last month that 22 nations have formally applied to join the BRICS organization, and another 22 have informally expressed interest in joining the bloc.
Countries such as Saudi Arabia and Iran have formally asked to become BRICS members, Sooklal further said, noting that others have also expressed an interest in joining BRICS, including Argentina, the United Arab Emirates, Algeria, Egypt, Bahrain and Indonesia.
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