On the occasion of the inclusion of new member-states in the BRICS organization, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday that India welcomes the inclusion of new members in the organization, noting that this will serve to strengthen the bloc.  

"India has always fully supported the expansion of BRICS membership. India has always believed that new members will further strengthen BRICS as an organization and give a new impetus to our common efforts… I am glad that our teams have jointly agreed on the guidelines, standards, criteria, and procedures for expansion and based on this we have agreed to invite Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE to BRICS. First of all, I would like to convey my most sincere congratulations to the leaders and people of these countries," Modi said at the BRICS Summit media briefing.

The remarks come after South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced earlier today that the BRICS leadership has decided to invite Argentina, Egypt, Iran, Ethiopia, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia to join the organization. 

New BRICS members hail expansion

Egypt is grateful for the offer to join BRICS and welcomes more collaboration, according to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on Thursday.

"I value the declaration by the BRICS group to invite Egypt to join its membership as of January 2024. We appreciate the confidence of all BRICS member states with whom we share robust relations. We look forward to cooperating and coordinating with them, and with the other countries invited to join the bloc, to achieve its goals toward strengthening economic cooperation among us and raise the voice of the Global South with regard to the various issues and development challenges we encounter in order to promote the developing countries’ rights and interests," El-Sisi said in a statement published by the Egyptian Presidency.

After receiving approval for Ethiopia to join the BRICS organization, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed congratulated the people of his country. 

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"Ethiopia’s bid to join the BRICS family was endorsed this morning during the 15th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa. Congratulations to all Ethiopians!" the office of the Prime Minister wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. 

A great moment for #Ethiopia as the BRICS leaders endorse our entry into this group today. Ethiopia stands ready to cooperate with all for an inclusive and prosperous global order. pic.twitter.com/BPspm8C0jm

— Abiy Ahmed Ali 🇪🇹 (@AbiyAhmedAli) August 24, 2023

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan likewise thanked the BRICS leadership for approving the country's application to join the group.

"We respect the vision of the BRICS leadership and appreciate the inclusion of the UAE as a member of this important group. We look forward to a continued commitment of cooperation for the prosperity, dignity, and benefit of all nations and people around the world," Nahyan said on X.

We respect the vision of the BRICS leadership and appreciate the inclusion of the UAE as a member to this important group. We look forward to a continued commitment of cooperation for the prosperity, dignity and benefit of all nations and people around the world.

— محمد بن زايد (@MohamedBinZayed) August 24, 2023

A "historic" expansion

Commenting on the BRICS expansion, Chinese President Xi Jinping said that this marked a historic moment, indicating how far the group is dedicated to working with the developing world.

"The current expansion is historic and reflects the determination of the BRICS member states to cooperate with developing countries," Xi said at the BRICS Summit media briefing, adding that the decision to expand BRICS is in the interests of all and responds to the expectations of the international community. 

Ramaphosa's diplomatic skills

Although Russian President Vladimir Putin did not attend the summit in person, he said that South African President Cyril Ramaphosa demonstrated diplomatic skill when he discussed the challenges of expanding BRICS.

"President Ramaphosa showed amazing diplomatic skill in coordinating all positions, including those related to the expansion of BRICS," Putin said at the summit.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is participating in the summit through a videoconference, while his Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is attending the summit in person.