The Brics group of nations has invited the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iran, Ethiopia and Argentina to join the bloc, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Thursday.
The debate over expanding the membership of the bloc, comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, has topped the agenda at a three-day summit in Johannesburg, which concludes on Thursday.
While all Brics members have expressed support for expanding the bloc, leaders are divided over procedures for expansion and how quickly membership should be enlarged.
We respect the vision of the Brics leadership and appreciate the inclusion of the UAE as a member to this important group
President Sheikh Mohamed
“Brics has embarked on a new chapter in its effort to build a world that is fair, a world that is just, a world that is also inclusive and prosperous,” Mr Ramaphosa said.
He said the new members would be formally admitted on January 1.
President Sheikh Mohamed has praised the move.
“We respect the vision of the Brics leadership and appreciate the inclusion of the UAE as a member to this important group,” he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“We look forward to a continued commitment of co-operation for the prosperity, dignity and benefit of all nations and people around the world.”
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said his country had “always fully supported the expansion of Brics”.
“India has always believed the addition of new members will further strengthen Brics as an organisation and give our shared efforts a new impetus.
“This will also strengthen the belief of many countries in the world in a multipolar world order. I am pleased our teams have together agreed on guiding principles, standards, criteria and procedures for the expansion.”
Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister told Al Arabiya TV on Thursday that the kingdom appreciated the invitation by Brics to join the group and would study the details before the proposed January 1 joining date and take “the appropriate decision”.
Prince Faisal bin Farhan said Brics was “a beneficial and important channel” to strengthen economic co-operation.
Earlier in the day, Prince Faisal said the kingdom was looking forward to closer co-operation with Brics member states.
“The kingdom is keen to exercise its responsibilities to sustain international co-operation,” he said.
Riyadh is “moving forward achieving the goals of sustainable development” and working to stabilise energy markets, he added.
Egypt's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the invitation confirmed the country's “growing role in the global economy” and in a more inclusive system that “takes into account the interests of emerging economies in the global south”, the ministry's spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said on X.
An expanded Brics, which was formed in 2009, would add more major oil producers to the bloc and boost its economic clout.
China and Russia have also pushed for its expansion in an effort to counter western powers.
The addition of its more members may also give it more sway in world affairs and may lead to a different type of global economy.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi's deputy chief of staff for political affairs, Mohammed Jamshidi, said the decision was a “strategic success” and a historic development for Iranian foreign policy.
Mr Raisi is in South Africa for the summit but has yet to comment on the decision. South Africa is an ally of Iran and is its largest trading partner on the continent.
Mr Raisi has recently undertaken trips to other African nations to forge closer ties.
A report from Iran's state-run Irna outlet voiced hopes the decision may benefit sanction-hit Tehran through access to the New Development Bank, which offers an alternative to the Swift payment system.
Chinese President Xi Jinping said the decision to admit the six nations had been unanimous.
“Brics countries are all countries with important influence and shoulder important responsibilities for world peace and development,” he said.
“This membership expansion is historic. It shows the determination of Brics countries for unity and co-operation with the broader developing countries.”
The expansion is a “new starting point” for Brics co-operation and will bring new vigour to the bloc, the Chinese leader said.
“I am confident, as long as we work with a common purpose, there is a lot Brics co-operation can achieve and the future will be bright for Brics countries.”
Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El Sisi said Cairo looked forward to “raising the voices” of countries in the Global South.
“I appreciate Egypt being invited to join Brics and look forward to coordinating with the group to achieve its goals in supporting economic co-operation,” he said.
Ethiopia hailed the decision as a “great move” for the country while Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Brics needed to increase co-operation amid the threat of nuclear conflict.
“It is time to revitalise co-operation with developing countries as there is a risk of nuclear war,” he said after the announcement.
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Engine: 2-litre 4-cylinder and 3.6-litre 6-cylinder
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Five expert hiking tips
Always check the weather forecast before setting off
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Wear appropriate clothing and footwear
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Engine: 3.6-litre V6
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The past Palme d'Or winners
2018 Shoplifters, Hirokazu Kore-eda
2017 The Square, Ruben Ostlund
2016 I, Daniel Blake, Ken Loach
2015 Dheepan, Jacques Audiard
2014 Winter Sleep (Kış Uykusu), Nuri Bilge Ceylan
2013 Blue is the Warmest Colour (La Vie d'Adèle: Chapitres 1 et 2), Abdellatif Kechiche, Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux
2012 Amour, Michael Haneke
2011 The Tree of Life, Terrence Malick
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The specs: 2018 Opel Mokka X
Price, as tested: Dh84,000
Engine: 1.4L, four-cylinder turbo
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Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L / 100km
The five new places of worship
Church of South Indian Parish
St Andrew's Church Mussaffah branch
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St John's Baptist Church, Ruwais
Church of the Virgin Mary and St Paul the Apostle, Ruwais
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
Infiniti QX80 specs
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Spider-Man: No Way Home
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Key facilities
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Bio
Born in Dubai in 1994
Her father is a retired Emirati police officer and her mother is originally from Kuwait
She Graduated from the American University of Sharjah in 2015 and is currently working on her Masters in Communication from the University of Sharjah.
Her favourite film is Pacific Rim, directed by Guillermo del Toro
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
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Du Football Champions
The fourth season of du Football Champions was launched at Gitex on Wednesday alongside the Middle East’s first sports-tech scouting platform.“du Talents”, which enables aspiring footballers to upload their profiles and highlights reels and communicate directly with coaches, is designed to extend the reach of the programme, which has already attracted more than 21,500 players in its first three years.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs: 2017 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali
Price, base / as tested Dh207,846 / Dh220,000
Engine 6.2L V8
Transmission Eight-speed automatic
Power 420hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque 624Nm @ 4,100rpm
Fuel economy, combined 13.5L / 100km
What's in the deal?
Agreement aims to boost trade by £25.5bn a year in the long run, compared with a total of £42.6bn in 2024
India will slash levies on medical devices, machinery, cosmetics, soft drinks and lamb.
India will also cut automotive tariffs to 10% under a quota from over 100% currently.
Indian employees in the UK will receive three years exemption from social security payments
India expects 99% of exports to benefit from zero duty, raising opportunities for textiles, marine products, footwear and jewellery
Your rights as an employee
The government has taken an increasingly tough line against companies that fail to pay employees on time. Three years ago, the Cabinet passed a decree allowing the government to halt the granting of work permits to companies with wage backlogs.
The new measures passed by the Cabinet in 2016 were an update to the Wage Protection System, which is in place to track whether a company pays its employees on time or not.
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Despite those measures, late payments remain an issue, particularly in the construction sector. Smaller contractors, such as electrical, plumbing and fit-out businesses, often blame the bigger companies that hire them for wages being late.
The authorities have urged employees to report their companies at the labour ministry or Tawafuq service centres — there are 15 in Abu Dhabi.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
