“In the exercise of the Brazilian pro tempore presidency of the BRICS, which began on January 1 and will run until December 31, 2025, the Brazilian Government announced on January 6 the formal incorporation of the Republic of Indonesia into the BRICS, as a full member,” according to a press release from the local Foreign Ministry.
Indonesia’s candidacy was endorsed by the group’s leaders at the Johannesburg Summit in August 2023, “in the context of the process to expand the BRICS’ full membership.”
However, in view of the presidential elections to be held in 2024, “Indonesia formally informed the group its interest in joining the BRICS, only after the formation of the new government.”
The countries of the bloc, by consensus, approved Indonesia’s entry, “in line with the guiding principles, criteria and procedures for the expansion of the membership agreed in Johannesburg,” the official message noted.
The Foreign Ministry stressed that the new member has the largest population and the largest economy in Southeast Asia, sharing “with the other members of the group support for the reform of global governance institutions,” in addition to contributing positively to “the deepening of cooperation in the Global South.”
The BRICS represents around 40 percent of the global population and 37 percent of the world’s Gross Domestic Product by purchasing power.
Other nations also agreed to join in another category of the bloc, as associates, and would be Cuba, Bolivia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Thailand, Uganda and Uzbekistan. Nigeria, Turkey and Algeria are expected to confirm their participation.
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