In an interview with TASS, Pakistan’s recently appointed Ambassador to Russia, Muhammad Khalid Jamali said, “Pakistan would like to be part of this important organization and we are in process of contacting member countries for extending support to Pakistan’s membership in general and Russian Federation in particular.”

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In response to the question about Pakistan’s BRICS membership bid, the diplomat affirmed that the country has indeed submitted its application. He further clarified that Islamabad intends to become a member of the group during Russia’s presidency in 2024.

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The coalition of developed and developing nations, known as BRICS, was initially composed of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, established in 2010.

In early October, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said that BRICS aims to finalize a list of candidates for partner-state status before the upcoming summit scheduled for 2024 in Kazan, TASS reported.

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During the most recent summit held in South Africa in October, BRICS made the decision to extend invitations to six additional countries to join their alliance. Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates have received invitations to become BRICS members, with their official membership set to commence on January 1, 2024.

As per the report, the official mentioned that under Russia’s leadership in BRICS, there will be a particular focus on broadening the group’s relationships, especially in Latin America, as part of an effort to increase the “circle of BRICS friends.”

Also Read: BRICS set to invite Saudi Arabia, 2 other nations to join the bloc

After Russia’s chairmanship of BRICS in 2020, India assumed the leadership role in January 2021 and retained the presidency until December 2021. The overarching theme and strategy during India’s BRICS Chairship were encapsulated in the motto ‘BRICS@15: Intra BRICS Cooperation for Continuity, Consolidation, and Consensus.’

Meanwhile, amid the economic crisis, in the last two decades, China extended approximately USD 21 billion more in loans to Pakistan than initially estimated, as per a recent study reported by Nikkei Asia. The study revealed that Pakistan possesses the largest energy portfolio funded by China globally.

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“Of the total finance of USD 67.2 billion, USD 36 billion was accumulated under the Nawaz Sharif-led PML-N government, which was in power from 2013 to 2017. Sharif recently returned from years of self-imposed exile in London to help the party in its campaign for elections, apparently with the tacit support of Pakistan’s military”, according to a Nikkei Asia report.

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“We should let more countries join the BRICS family to pool wisdom and efforts to make global governance more just and equitable,” Chinese President Xi Jinping said.

(With inputs from agencies)

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Updated: 22 Nov 2023, 01:22 PM IST