By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed support for an expansion of the BRICS group of emerging market powers, which will gather for its annual summit in Johannesburg on Tuesday.
Ramaphosa said in a televised address to the nation on Sunday. The summit will be attended by United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and more than 30 African heads of state.
BRICS, a loosely-defined group that sees itself as a counterweight to Western economic domination, derives its name from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The bloc has previously indicated it is open to expansion.
Over 40 countries, including Saudi Arabia, Iran, United Arab Emirates, Argentina, Indonesia, Egypt and Ethiopia, have expressed interest in joining BRICS.
China, seeking to expand its influence as it tussles with the United States over trade and geopolitics, supports BRICS expansion, while Brazil is sceptical.
Russia, hoping to overcome its diplomatic isolation over the Ukraine war, is keen to bring in new members, India is undecided.
Ramaphosa said the addition of new members will contribute to a more balanced global order, which is an alternative to the existing international financial and political forums.
“South Africa supports the expansion of the membership of BRICS. The value of BRICS extends beyond the interest of its current members,” he added.
The current Brics countries already make up more than 40% of all the people in the world and about 30% of the world’s money.
He said Brics summit presents an opportunity for world leaders to address many issues, including the case of unilateral sanctions.
Ramaphosa has also stressed the importance of playing good hosts to the mass influx of visitors over the next week or so as a number of political and business delegates arrive in the country to attend the summit.
He reminded South Africans that the foreign relations the country sought would increase collaboration, secure greater trade opportunities and increased investment, and would result in working closely with partners across the globe to entrench peace and democracy.
“Through stronger relations with other countries, manifested through investment and trade relations, we can grow our economy, create more opportunities for new businesses and create jobs,” he said.
South Africa’s foreign policy aimed to promote the country’s national interest based on the protection and promotion of our national sovereignty and constitutional order.
It is also aimed at improving the well-being, safety and prosperity of its citizens, and the achievement of a better Africa and world.
“The key pillars of our foreign policy include the promotion of human rights, peace and stability and the strengthening of trade and investment ties with other countries,” he said.
Ramaphosa said that South Africa’s foreign policy stance it had taken since the advent of democracy had positioned South Africa as a reliable and influential partner on the continent and in the world.
This, he said, had enabled the country to have friendly and valuable relations with countries around the world at political, diplomatic, trade, investment, sporting, social and many other levels.
It was these principles that guided South Africa’s participation in BRICS, he said.
He said BRICS as a formation played an important role in the world due to its economic power, market potential, political influence and development cooperation.
The summit was overshadowed earlier this year when questions were raised over Russian Vladimir Putin’s participation. There is an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for Putin on war crimes relating to Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. If he attended the summit in person, SA may have been compelled to arrest him
It was confirmed in July Putin would not attend in person, with foreign minister Sergey Lavrov representing Russia. It is expected Putin will participate remotely.
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Video Courtesy of ENCA.