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He had already announced this decision during the election campaign, when the former center-left government wanted to join the bloc of emerging countries.
Published on December 29, 2023 5:09 p.m. Updated on December 29, 2023 5:23 p.m
Reading time: 1 min
Argentine President Javier Milei, at the Movistar Arena in Buenos Aires, August 7, 2023 (LUIS ROBAYO / AFP)
Argentina will not join the bloc of emerging markets (Brics). In a letter to the Brazilian President Lula, as well as to other members of the bloc (Russia, India, China, South Africa), the new Argentine President Javier Milei informs him that the incorporation of the Argentine Republic into the BRICS countries is planned “A full member from January 1, 2024 is not considered appropriate by his government.” A withdrawal that he had already promised during the election campaign, when the former center-left government wanted to join this club.
“As you know, the foreign policy of the government I have headed in recent days differs in many ways from that of the previous government,” explains Javier Milei, who took office on December 10. “In this sense, certain decisions of the previous government are being revised. This includes the creation of a unit (…) for the country's active participation in the Brics states,” he adds in the letter published by several media outlets.
Strategic allies elsewhere
At the end of the last Brics summit in August in Johannesburg, South Africa, the bloc announced an expansion, inviting six new member countries to join from January 1. Argentina was on this list, but also Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Javier Milei has in the past expressed very harsh words towards the Chinese regime and Brazilian President Lula, who was described, among other things, as a “corrupt communist”. Since his election, however, he has lowered his voice and laid the foundation for peaceful diplomatic relations with Brasilia and Beijing, Argentina's two main trading partners. But he always insisted that he viewed the United States and Israel as his natural strategic allies.