Araghchi made the statement on Tuesday as Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, accompanied by a delegation, arrived in the Russian city of Kazan to attend the 2024 BRICS summit, a three-day gathering on an official invitation from Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“This is the first BRICS meeting in which we participate as an official member at the level of the head of state,” the top Iranian diplomat said. “BRICS is gradually becoming a new global pole, a group of countries that have come together to oppose the Western order ruling the world.”
Araghchi underlined that the BRICS member countries are developing and formulating mechanisms and methods to spare the world from Western monopoly.
“These mechanisms are in the political and security spheres and mostly in the economic and financial fields. In the economic field, BRICS has established a new development bank,” he said.
Stressing that BRICS boasts particular attractions and some 30 countries are willing to join the bloc, Araghchi said, “In this meeting, it is decided that 10 more countries will be added to the BRICS group as partners.”
Pezeshkian is set to deliver three keynote addresses in Kazan, highlighting Iran’s views on global economic cooperation, multilateralism and the need for stronger partnerships among developing countries.
The Iranian president is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with leaders from Russia, China, Egypt, and other participating nations to advance Iran’s economic and diplomatic ties within the bloc of major emerging economies.
BRICS, originally comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and later South Africa, has recently expanded to include Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia.
Countries such as Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Malaysia have formally applied for membership, with several others expressing interest in joining.
BRICS currently has a combined population of about 3.5 billion people, with a combined economy worth over $28.5 trillion or about 28 percent of the global economy.