Foreign minister of Brazil, Mauro Vieira, has expressed an interest in having Argentina join the BRICS group, but said the decision would depend on consensus from the other members. He stated that the group would need to go through a consensual discussion before deciding whether or not to proceed with enlargement, and if it does, Brazil will have candidates to support.
Brazilian President Luiz Inàcio Lula Da Silva’s upcoming meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping will mainly be of a “bilateral” nature. But, according to Vieira it will focus primarily on Argentina, an “important country, a great partner of Brazil, [and] a strategic neighbour”. It has been said that Brazil will defend Argentina’s joining of the BRICS, but that this issue should be addressed at the next BRICS summit, since it does not fit with the current meeting.
Argentina’s relations with BRICS members
Argentina has enjoyed good relations with Russia. Argentina’s President Alberto Fernandez visited Russia before the Ukraine war last year. Fernandez stated that his country must reduce their economic dependence on the US and IMF, and has met Vladimir Putin in order to strengthen bilateral cooperation and trade relations.
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Argentina also has signed several deals with China. Argentina’s Ushuaia deal is an important piece in the puzzle. Lately, Argentina and China have formalised a currency swap deal which will allow Argentina to increase their foreign currency reserves. The deal is worth $5 billion and includes the exchange of 130 billion yuan for the reinforcement of Argentina’s international reserves. China is Argentina’s second biggest trade partner and the second most important destination for Argentine exports.
Argentina and India also have reaffirmed their commitment to further deepening and diversifying their strategic partnership to address global challenges like terrorism and climate change. They agreed to closely cooperate in the UN and other multilateral organisations to fight terrorism, climate change and other challenges. They also discussed defence, nuclear energy, space and pharmaceuticals.
Now, given the fact that Argentina has good ties and partnership with BRICS’ member states, there is a probability that request of Brazil might get considered by them.
