Russian Ambassador in Cairo Georgy Borisenko has said Moscow is backing Egypt’s membership application to join the BRICS.
“Egypt has applied to join the BRICS group, because one of the endeavors that the BRICS is engaged in now is the maximum transfer of trade to alternative currencies, whether national currencies or the creation of some kind of joint currency. Egypt is very interested in this,” the diplomat told Sputnik.
“Russia immediately supported the application of Egypt to join the BRICS. It can take place after the criteria and procedures for admission of new countries are finally agreed within the association, since the current members have different opinions on this matter,” Borisenko said.
The Russian diplomat also said that Egypt is eager to develop trade and other types of economic cooperation with Russia. Like Egypt, several other global south countries have written formal letters, while a similar number have made inquiries through their embassies and capitals seeking more information on how to become members of BRICS.
The Foreign ministers of BRICS met early this month in South Africa’s Cape Town. They also held BRICS Friends group meeting attended by the Foreign ministers of 12 countries of the Global South.
Egypt, along with Zambia, Senegal, Republic of Congo, South Africa, and Uganda is part of an African delegation, trying to garner support for a new peace plan to the Russia-Ukraine war.
The coming BRICS summit is scheduled to be held in South Africa. However, Pretoria may seek way out of hosting the summit over Putin arrest warrant issued by the Hague international criminal court on charges of war crimes.
As a party to the Rome statute, the treaty underpinning the court, Pretoria would be required to arrest Putin and then send him to The Hague for trial.
But China and India, if they hosted the summit, would not face the same obligation, leading some South African officials to suggest handing the summit to Beijing. Brazil, the fifth member of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) is also a party to the court, so faces the same dilemma as South Africa.