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Russia respects Argentina's decision not to join BRICS as country’s right — Lavrov

The top diplomat believes that Argentina’s decision not to join BRICS at this point in time is not final

MOSCOW, January 18. /TASS/. Argentina's decision not to join BRICS at this point in time is the country’s right, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at his annual news conference devoted to reviewing Moscow’s main foreign policy achievements in 2023.

"As for Argentina’s statement, this is the sovereign decision of the country that was invited to join BRICS. The invitation was [extended] under the previous government, the previous president. When that invitation was sent, President [Alberto] Fernandez said that the final decision would be made by the new president after the election. Everybody knew this," Lavrov said.

Lavrov emphasized that "this does not mean they are refusing to join [BRICS], just that they are not ready for it now." "That’s the way we took it," he added.

The top diplomat believes that Argentina’s decision not to join BRICS at this point in time is not final. "I think that when the government of President [Javier] Milei settles in and gets its bearings, they will be able to make a more informed decision," he pointed out.

Lavrov also noted that BRICS is getting increasingly popular. "Almost 30 applications are on the table to establish some kind of relations with this association," the minister noted. "At this stage, of course, we will focus on making sure that the new members are integrated as smoothly as possible and we all continue to move forward," Lavrov explained.

Last December, Argentinian presidential administration spokesperson Manuel Adorni confirmed that Buenos Aires had officially notified BRICS that it was not going to join the group. In letters sent to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, the Argentine authorities stated that at this time, they considered joining BRICS to be the wrong move for the country.

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Foreign policy Sergey Lavrov BRICS Argentina

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