PETALING JAYA: Malaysia is one step closer to joining the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) intergovernmental organisation after Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim accepted an invitation for the country to participate in the group’s upcoming Summit.
The invitation was personally extended by Russian President Vladimir Putin during a recent bilateral meeting between the two leaders at Vladivostok, Russia, for the 9th Eastern Economic Forum.
Anwar said the invitation was a clear testament of Malaysia’s importance towards Russia and marked a significant step towards the country’s ultimate goal of joining the group of emerging economies.
“As Malaysia continues to expand its geoeconomic space and diversify its strategic relationships, Russia will be a key partner that shares our vision for growth, prosperity, and development.
“From Islamic finance to agriculture to education, the potential for Malaysia and Russia to leverage their expertise for the mutual benefit of their peoples is immense.
“I am optimistic that the foundations laid today will lead to meaningful cooperation between Russia and Malaysia in the years to come,” he said in a Facebook post.
Malaysia had previously submitted an application to Russia to join BRICS earlier in July this year.
Initially made up of Brazil, Russia, India and China, BRICS was established in 2009 as a cooperation platform for emerging economies, with South Africa joining the bloc in 2010.
The bloc has since expanded to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as new members during the bloc's summit in August last year.
The international organisation now contributes to a quarter of the global economy, accounts for one-fifth of global trade and represents about 40% of the world’s population.
Outside of economics, Anwar said he also used the opportunity to express his hope for Russia to pursue a peaceful and sustainable resolution to the now 30-month-old war in Ukraine through peace negotiations.
Both leaders had also agreed that the international community must intensify pressure to end Israel’s “ruthless genocidal campaigns” in Gaza, according to Anwar.
