Speaking at a meeting with heads of the Foreign Ministry’s branches in Russian regions today, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov declared that more countries have requested to join the BRICS group and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) In 2022. (https://www.mid.ru/en/foreign_policy/news/1855657/ )
“Importantly, over the past couple of years, including the first year of the special military operation, the number of countries willing to join BRICS and the SCO has increased dramatically to about 20. They include Egypt, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, the U.A.E., Indonesia, Argentina, Mexico and a number of African countries, and they play a truly important role in their respective regions.”
“The sheer number of these countries exposes the failed attempts to isolate our country. On the contrary, it’s the other way round. The countries which feel independent and are guided by national interests rather than someone else’s whims understand the ongoing developments as a geopolitical tectonic process, which fact encourages them to associate with the countries that they consider their like-minded partners. In this regard, we have a vast field for interaction with our colleagues.”
