KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s status as a partner country in BRICS will not affect its role in other international cooperations, says Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan (pic).
The Foreign Minister said the position did not “water down” its role in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Non-Aligned Movement, or the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec).
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“Just recently, Malaysia was also invited to participate in the Apec and G20 summits.
“Here we also (spoke up about) the obvious gap between developed countries and the Global South.
“Instead of developed countries pointing the finger, we should all come together and resolve matters like climate change and global warming,” he said during a question and answer session in the Dewan Rakyat on Wednesday (Nov 27).
Mohamad added that being a partner country in BRICS also expanded the national economy.
“We take a de-risk policy. We don’t ... rely too much on our traditional markets because if anything happens to them, we will fall on our backs.
“We need to expand and diversify our markets,” he said.
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Ahmad Fadhli Shaari (PN-Pasir Mas) had asked about Malaysia’s goal in joining BRICS and how the country positioned itself within the bloc while not being perceived as being against other groupings.
Ahmad Fadhli also asked how Malaysia would bring its status as a BRICS partner country to other Asean countries, as the region also had economic platforms such as Apec.
Mohamad said Malaysia had not yet been accepted as a full BRICS member but once it is, the matter will be brought to Parliament.
He also said BRICS is not like a pact, adding that there is no convention or treaty to be signed and adhered to.
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“It is more towards amplifying the Global South’s voice,” he said, adding that the divide with the North is considerable.
On Oct 24, Malaysia was recognised as one of 13 nations officially added to BRICS as a partner country.
Originally comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, the BRICS group welcomed Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as new members during the bloc’s summit in August last year.
It was established in 2009 as a cooperation platform for rapidly developing economies.
BRICS 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.
