Indonesian President Joko Widodo is set to participate in the upcoming BRICS summit scheduled to take place in Johannesburg from August 22 to 24, as reported by Indonesia's Antara news agency.
President Widodo, currently on an African tour encompassing Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, and South Africa, plans to engage in several bilateral summit meetings on the sidelines of the BRICS summit. However, specific details about these meetings have yet to be disclosed.
Indonesia's Deputy Trade Minister Jerry Sambuaga holds the view that Indonesia stands to gain new trade opportunities by becoming a part of BRICS. He noted that BRICS focuses on different regions compared to ASEAN, APEC and G20, with Brazil representing Latin America and South Africa representing Africa. Joining BRICS could potentially provide a starting point for exploring untapped avenues. "We have an interest in joining BRICS," he stated, as quoted by Antara.
The BRICS summit is currently chaired by South Africa. Anil Sooklal, South Africa's BRICS Sherpa, previously mentioned that approximately 30 nations are expressing interest in joining the association, with some submitting formal applications, including Algeria, Bangladesh, Egypt, and Ethiopia. According to sources cited by the Indian newspaper Business Standard, the summit might witness the inclusion of five more countries: Argentina, Egypt, Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia.
The BRICS presidency will transition to Russia in 2024.
GSV "Russia - Islamic world"
Photo: official website of the President of the Russian Federation
Based on materials from TASS