Bangladesh, Indonesia leaders to attend BRICS Summit to improve ties with member nations

Bangladesh and Indonesia leaders will be attending the BRICS summit of the five major emerging economies in Johannesburg from August 22 to August 24. Both Asian countries have been looking forward to increasing their access to development funds, reported The Jakarta Post. Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo would be joining 67 other leaders. 

"Bangladesh’s government hopes to reap economic benefits from the invitations to the meeting in South Africa," said Muhammad Faruk Khan, the chairman of Bangladesh’s Parliamentary Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs.

"It is a new potential source of our development assistance. We want to improve our relations with BRICS member countries," the official said.

Notably, Bangladesh applied for  BRICS membership in June followed by a meeting in Geneva between Hasina and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, the chair of the group this year. In the same month, Bangladesh Foreign Minister A.K. Abdul Momen said that Bangladesh has been looking forward to joining the group.  

“We will surely join once they invite us,” said Bangladesh FM, reported Bangladeshi media. He added that BRICS leaders have been considering taking some emerging economies, "around eight new countries including Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, and Bangladesh.” 

Whereas, Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo has been noncommittal about the country’s BRICS membership. When reporters questioned Jokowi earlier this month about rumours that Indonesia would join the BRICS, he said Jakarta had not made a decision. “We will decide later,” Jokowi said, as per the state-owned news agency Antara. 

69 countries to attend BRICS summit 

69 nations have been invited to the BRICS summit, which will be held in the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa. All 54 African heads of state are expected to attend the conference of the BRICS group which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. 

Meanwhile, 23 countries have formally applied to become new BRICS members, including Saudi Arabia, Iran, United Arab Emirates, Argentina, Indonesia, Egypt and Ethiopia. All these countries have shown a willingness to integrate their countries in the format- formally or informally, while some of the Western nations like the US, the UK and France have not been invited. Apart from that 20 dignitaries including the secretary-general of the United Nations, the chairperson of the African Union Commission and the president of the New Development Bank would also attend the summit.