2023-12-29 16:19:00
(CNN Spanish) — The Government of Javier Milei renounced Argentina’s membership in the BRICS bloc – the economic, political and social alliance made up until now of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – just days before the accession agreed by the former President Alberto Fernández came into effect on January 1, 2024. He did so through a letter sent to its members, and which the Argentine Foreign Ministry shared with the media, including CNNE.
The letter was sent to Presidents Lula da Silva, of Brazil; Cyril Ramaphosa, from South Africa; Xi Jinping, of China; Vladimir Putin, of Russia, and the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi. In the document, the Argentine Government expressed that its participation as a member of the bloc was not considered “opportune”, due to the fact that the current foreign policy axes differ from those of the previous administration.
“As you are aware, the foreign policy imprint of the Government that I have presided over for a few days differs in many aspects from that of the previous Government. In this sense, some decisions taken by the previous administration will be reviewed. Among them is the creation of a specialized unit for the country’s active participation in BRICS, as indicated by President Alberto Fernández in his letter dated September 4,” says the letter sent by the Foreign Ministry and shared with the media.
Letter of resignation from the BRICS sent to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, president of Brazil.
In the letter, the Argentine Government ratifies its willingness to intensify bilateral ties with each of the countries, highlighting “the increase in trade and investment flows.”
In August, when announcing the news, Fernández had stated that the integration of Argentina represented the possibility of “opening new markets, consolidating existing ones, favoring investment flows by creating employment, increasing exports and developing the application of new and better technologies. Admission was planned along with Iran, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.
Milei had already anticipated his position regarding the BRICS
President Javier Milei had announced during the electoral campaign that, if elected, he would not participate in the BRICS. Then, during a presentation before the Council of the Americas, Milei had argued ideological reasons for that decision, saying: “Our geopolitical alignment is the United States and Israel. We are not going to align ourselves with communists.”
“Trade must be free,” said before journalists after leaving the meeting.
He had said something similar at the beginning of November during an interview with journalist Jaime Baily, in which he accused Lula da Silva of being “communist and corrupt”, although he clarified that “individuals will be able to make commercial transactions with whoever they want.” […] “From my position as head of state, my allies are Israel, the United States, and the free world.”
Furthermore, after the electoral victory of La Libertad Avanza, current Foreign Minister Diana Mondino announced through her X account that Argentina would not join the bloc: “We will not join the BRICS,” she wrote on November 30.
We will not enter the BRICS.
— Diana Mondino (@DianaMondino) November 30, 2023
What do the BRICS represent?
The five countries that until now make up the bloc represent more than 42% of the global population, 30% of the world’s territory, 23% of the GDP and 18% of world trade, according to official information from the Argentine Foreign Ministry. According to the same source, the countries involved together contribute to 16% of global exports and 15% of imports of goods and services.
In addition, the countries that make up the BRICS group are partners of the New Development Bank (NBD), an entity created in 2015 and currently chaired by Dilma Rousseff, former president of Brazil. On its official website, it is defined as a multilateral space “that has the purpose of mobilizing resources for infrastructure and sustainable development projects in emerging markets and developing countries.”
The attribution for this article was updated after publication.
With information from Ignacio Grimaldi and Damián Martino, from CNNE.
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