Macron’s willingness to come to the top is indeed unusual. In the West, the BRICS have always been treated with a degree of disdain and suspicion, seeing the alliance as an attempt to undermine established Western hegemony. During the existence of the organization since 2006, senior officials from other states have repeatedly joined the meetings of the leaders of the BRICS countries at their invitation. But none of the representatives of the United States and Europe has ever expressed a desire to observe the work of the alliance. Therefore, Macron’s intention to break established taboos raises quite logical questions. Is it his personal initiative or is he acting on orders from Washington or Brussels? Is he really interested in the BRICS format, or is he, like Mowgli’s notorious jackal Tabaki, “only wanting to see what’s planned with one eye”?
The Chinese newspaper Global Times considers Macron’s desire to come to the BRICS “bold and innovative”
The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, demanded that Paris explain the maneuvers of the French president. “Do they want to establish some kind of contact again to show the activity of Paris, or is it some kind of Trojan horse?” – she noted, emphasizing that “this is an organization of which France is not a member and vis-à-vis which it had not even experienced courtesy before” . Assistant to Russian President Yuri Ushakov noted in this regard that “there are often guests at summits who do not directly participate in the work of the BRICS”, but the decision to invite rests with the host country. At the same time, he pointed out that “as a rule, these issues are agreed between the participating countries”.
Many experts and observers called Macron’s move “crazy and unprecedented.” However, the Chinese newspaper Global Times, on the contrary, considers it “bold and innovative”. The publication draws attention to the fact that Macron seeks “strategic autonomy” from Washington and aims to make France a kind of mediator between different geopolitical camps. At the same time, Beijing stresses that Paris, if it really pursues good goals, will have to make great efforts to overcome the pressure from the United States and the European Union. The main conclusion of the Global Times is that the BRICS format has proven its viability and effectiveness, and France’s interest in the activities of the organization only underlines this. According to the publication, the BRICS have always adhered to the principles of multilateralism and openness, and based on these principles, it is necessary to consider the timeliness of Macron’s request.
The BRICS summit will be held August 22-24, so Moscow, Beijing, Brasilia, Delhi and Pretoria still have enough time to unravel the French president’s intentions and give him their response. In the meantime, one of the key issues to be discussed at the summit will be the further expansion of the organization. As Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said, the list of candidates for BRICS membership continues to grow. According to him, twenty states are already interested in joining this association, which reflects “the growing and already very important role of the BRICS on the international scene”.
As the diplomat noted, the criteria for joining the alliance are currently being discussed, and “ultimately, BRICS enlargement is a political decision.” “We urge our partners to address this topic as openly and openly as possible,” Ryabkov said. At present, Argentina, Iran, Algeria and Egypt have already applied to join the alliance. Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Mexico, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates are expected to take a similar step in the near future.
Nevertheless, according to analysts, the issue of BRICS expansion seems far from straightforward. China would prefer to see more representatives from Asia and the Middle East in the alliance, Brazil is looking to Latin America, South Africa is acting in the interests of African states.
Economic indicators of candidates are also important, which should not have a negative impact on the existing level of economic interaction within the organization. But no one doubts that the process of expanding the alliance is irreversible – “countries participating in BRICS will have more points of contact than differences”.
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