The Algerian authorities announced, Monday, November 7, the official submission of their application to join the BRICS group which brings together five countries, including Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, with which Algiers already maintains diplomatic and economic relations.
Some observers believe that the Algerian request has a good chance of succeeding insofar as it already has the green light from Beijing (which holds the presidency this year) and Moscow. Russia would also have welcomed Algeria’s willingness to join the group, to stick to the words of the Russian President’s Special Representative for the Middle East and Africa and Deputy Foreign Minister, Mikhail Bogdanov .
The BRICS group decided to open up to other countries during its last summit held last June in China. It intends to strengthen its weight at the international level to better influence its positions in various fields. This boc of emerging markets represents 25% of global GDP and 18% of international trade.
Last summer, the Algerian President, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, affirmed that his country “is interested in the BRICS, in that they constitute an economic and political power” and that “joining this group would put Algeria, a country pioneer of non-alignment, sheltered from the tension between the two poles”.
Willy-nilly, Algiers’ initiative to join the BRICS family has not gone unnoticed, diplomatically. While Algiers still takes a dim view of relations between its neighbor Morocco and Israel, as well as the United States, which in December 2020 had recognized the Kingdom’s sovereignty over its Sahara, observers lend Algeria intentions to also want to strengthen its foreign policy.
By OMA Newsletter N° 934 of 10/11/2022
Article published under the direction of Dr. Najib Kettani
The OMA, NGO with an Intercontinental vocation
For the development of cultural exchanges
Valuing human potential
The promotion and consolidation of Africa’s development, and
Inter-African integration
