Argentina’s president refuses BRICS membership
Argentina’s new far-right populist president Javier Milei has rejected an invitation from the BRICS group of developing economies to join the bloc in a dramatic shift in the country’s foreign and economic policies.
He announced the decision in letters to the BRICS leaders on Friday.
The bloc, which is made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, in August announced it was admitting six new members in a bid to counter the Western-led global order.
The membership of Argentina, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates was due to take effect from January 1, 2024.
The letters signed by Milei and published by several media houses said Argentina’s membership was “not considered appropriate at this time.”
The libertarian outsider Milei took office this month after his resounding defeat of Argentina’s traditional political parties, and he had vowed on the campaign trail not to join BRICS.
Melei, a self-proclaimed “liberal libertarian,” was elected the president of Argentina after defeating his opponent Sergio Massa, the country’s former economy minister.
During his campaign speeches, Milei announced not only radical changes in domestic politics and economy but also in the Latin American country’s international relations.
Milei also announced the termination of relations with Brazil and China, the current two largest trading partners of Buenos Aires, who account for 25 percent of Argentina’s exports and 40 percent of imports.
He has also criticized Moscow, promising to suppress bilateral relations with Russia and continue to support Ukraine in the protracted war between the two countries.
Instead of Argentina’s previous political and economic allies, Milei favors ties with the United States and Israel, which was evident after he announced his first official trips to these two places.
Milei has also backed the Israeli regime’s ongoing aggression against Gaza, unlike most other Latin American leaders who have either severed ties with the regime or recalled envoys from Tel Aviv.
The new Argentinean president has also promised to blacklist the Palestinian Hamas resistance group.
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