KUALA LUMPUR: A senior Malaysian minister will be attending the coming BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia next week to lobby for Malaysia's membership into the grouping, says Liew Chin Tong.
The Deputy Investment, Trade and Industry Minister, who did not name the minister said that the move will enhance Malaysia's candidacy into BRICS.
"The Foreign Minister had officially written to his counterparts in BRICS to garner support for our membership.
"This includes the attendance of a senior Malaysian minister at the BRICS Outreach/BRICS Plus Summit at the end of October which will present a valuable opportunity for us to garner support from BRICS leaders," he said when replying to a question by Aminolhuda Hassan (PH-Sri Gading) in the Dewan Rakyat today.
Aminolhuda asked about the benefits Malaysia would reap by joining BRICS and if it would jeopardise bilateral relations with the West.
Formed in 2009, BRICS originally comprised Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
In January this year, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) became the latest members of the grouping.
Collectively, BRICS members account for US26.5 trillion or 20.2% of the global GDP.
Liew added that the aim of joining the group was to strengthen the nation's economy further and tap into new trade investment opportunities.
He added that the membership in BRICS would also solidify the nation's commitment towards neutrality and multilateralism.
Liew allayed concerns that joining BRICS would jeopardise bilateral ties with the West, describing it as a misplaced perception by some quarters.
"This year, we welcomed investments from Western giant companies such as Google, Oracle and Amazon.
"This demonstrates that our neutral stance is recognised by Western companies and accepted by all parties," he added.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was invited by Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend the BRICS Summit to be held between Oct 22 and 24 in Kazan, Russia.
The invitation was made during Anwar's working visit to the Russian Federation on Sept 4 and 5 when attending the 9th Eastern Economic Forum (9th EEF) in Vladivostok, Russia.
