Azerbaijan officially applies for BRICS membership

Azerbaijan has officially applied to join BRICS, Aykhan Hajizada, the spokesman of the country’s Foreign Affairs Ministry, told Report.

On July 3, a Joint Declaratıon of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the People’s Republic of China on the establishment of a strategic partnership was adopted as part of the Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Astana. According to paragraph 4.5 of the declaration, the Azerbaijani side expressed its desire to join BRICS, and the Chinese side welcomed Azerbaijan’s desire to strengthen cooperation within the framework of the SCO and supported the enhancement of Azerbaijan’s legal status in the organization.

BRICS, which originally included Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa and has now expanded to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, is experiencing increased interest from other nations looking to join the bloc.