Brazil’s foreign ministry highlights Hanoi’s significance in Asia.
Vietnam has become the tenth partner nation of BRICS, as announced by Brazil’s foreign ministry on Saturday, marking an expansion of the bloc.
BRICS, originally founded in 2009 by Brazil, Russia, India, and China, later included South Africa in 2010. Subsequently, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Iran joined the group. According to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, BRICS represents approximately 40% of the world’s GDP in terms of purchasing power parity, exceeding the combined economic power of the G7.
“With a population nearing 100 million and a vibrant economy well-integrated into global supply chains, Vietnam is a key player in Asia,” stated Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The ministry further noted that Hanoi “shares a commitment to a more inclusive and representative global order with BRICS members and partners.”
The other nine partner countries in the group include Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, and Uzbekistan.
By becoming a partner country, Hanoi gains access to important economic initiatives without having formal voting rights.
Earlier in June, Russian President Vladimir Putin praised the group for its members’ cooperation based on equality, adding that Moscow intends to “continue efforts to develop an effective system of equal and mutually beneficial international cooperation.”
Last year, during a BRICS security representatives meeting in St. Petersburg, Putin mentioned that 34 countries had expressed interest in joining or collaborating with the group in some capacity.
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