Following a meeting between presidents earlier this month, Palestine has announced that it will officially apply to join BRICS. Indeed, Russia’s Vladimir Putin met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in early August. Subsequently, the latter has been invited to the 2024 BRICS Summit.
The decision follows an ongoing trend for the economic alliance this year. A plethora of countries have expressed an interest in joining an expanded BRICS. In 2023, the bloc welcomed four new members: the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Iran, Egypt, and Ethiopia.
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Palestine Intends to Join BRICS Following REcent Application
The past two years have been vital for the BRICS alliance. It expanded its membership for the first time since 2001 last year and has continued to discuss even more growth. That has led to several nations reaching out with an intention to become the next to be included in an expansion effort.
Among those is Palestine, which has officially announced it will apply to join BRICS. Specifically, the Palestinian Authority’s ambassador to Russia, Abdel Hafeez Nofal, stated that an application will arrive after the the country takes part in the upcoming annual summit.
“We received an invitation from President Putin to President Abbas, and he was invited to participate in the BRICS summit,” he told local media. “The most important thing is that [Palestinian representatives] will participate in this event,” he stated.
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Thereafter, Nofal noted that “after our first participation in the BRICS summit, we will send a request to join this association.” Moreover, he noted that the 2024 Summit will feature a session that focuses on Palestine only.
The country will not be alone in their pursuit of membership. Earlier this year, BRICS revealed that more than 30 nations sought to join. That includes countries like Malaysia, Thailand, Venezuela, and even Chile. Although the bloc is still discussing further expansion, the list of countries desiring to join has only increased.
