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| Indonesia officially becomes full member of BRICS | Photo: Reuters |
Indonesia will join the BRICS, an alliance of major emerging economies. The Brazilian government announced on Monday that it has decided to admit one of Asia's largest countries as a full member of the group, expanding the bloc even further.
Indonesia welcomed the announcement, Reuters reported. "BRICS membership is a strategic step to enhance cooperation and partnership with other developing countries," the country's foreign ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.
In addition to Brazil, the original BRICS members include Russia, India, China, and South Africa. Later, the alliance added Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates as members.
Indonesia, the world's fourth most populous country, had previously expressed interest in joining the BRICS alliance as a way to advance the interests of the so-called Global South and strengthen emerging economies.
Brazil, which holds the BRICS presidency for 2025, said in a statement that member states had unanimously approved Indonesia's application. The alliance's expansion was agreed upon at the BRICS summit in Johannesburg in 2023.
Brazil also said that member states gave the green light to Jakarta's application to join BRICS in 2023. But Indonesia decided to join the alliance after last year's presidential election. Prabowo Subianto took office as Indonesia's president last October.
"Indonesia supports the position of other countries in the alliance on the reform of global governance institutions. In addition, Indonesia plays a positive role in strengthening cooperation within the Global South," the Brazilian statement said.