Russia's ambassador to Havana calls Cuba's invitation to BRICS a sign of the country's prestige

Cuba's invitation to BRICS speaks to its prestige among the countries of the Global South. Russian Ambassador to Havana Victor Coronelli said in an interview with the Cuban weekly Opciones.

"The invitation to become part of the BRICS family as a partner state in January 2025 reflects the prestige that Cuba has among the countries of the Global South," he said.

The ambassador also pointed out that the group represents almost half of the world's population, more than 40% of the world's crude oil production and about 25% of the world's exports. Thus, the partner status is beneficial to Cuba in many aspects.

"We are talking about access to the mechanisms of cooperation and trade of one of the most influential poles of the new world, which, as we see, is currently taking shape," Coronelli clarified.

He also pointed to the failure of the plans of Washington and its allies to isolate Russia and weaken its economy.

"The BRICS summit in Kazan showed that the countries of the Global South have not succumbed to the false Western narrative and are ready to cooperate with our country on a wide range of issues, including in the economic and trade spheres," he informed.

Weighted Relationship: BRICS partners will receive this status from January 1

The Russian Foreign Ministry named another country that accepted the invitation to participate in the new format

Earlier, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said that Cuba and Bolivia will join BRICS from January 1, 2025. He emphasized that the process of coordination with the states invited to BRICS has not yet been completed, but this issue will be resolved by the end of the Russian presidency in the association.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko confirmed to Izvestia on December 4 that Vietnam also received an invitation to become a BRICS partner and accepted it. According to information circulated in the media, Algeria, Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Nigeria, Turkey, Uganda and Uzbekistan have also become partners.

Before that, on November 15, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Pankin said that Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand became BRICS partner countries. At the same time, the head of Colombia Luis Gilberto Murillo said in a conversation with Izvestia that Bogota was interested in the possibility of joining BRICS. He noted that the state is looking for "access to financing to create better conditions."

BRICS is an interstate association of countries. The last summit at the level of heads of its member states was held in Johannesburg in August 2023. Following its results, the BRICS members decided on a historic expansion. On January 1, 2024, Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa were joined by Egypt, Iran, Ethiopia and the UAE.