RIO DE JANEIRO, May 30. /TASS/. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on May 29 that his country is interested in joining BRICS, an association of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
"If we are asked whether Venezuela wants to be part of BRICS in the future, yes, we want to be a humble part of BRICS and keep pace with the changing geopolitical situation," he said at a joint news conference with his Brazilian counterpart, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
According to Maduro, BRICS may help consolidate South American nations. In his words, the association is like a magnet and it "attracts states, which seek peace and cooperation."
"More than 30 countries have already applied [for BRICS membership]," he added.
The Brazilian leader, in turn, said he would support Venezuela’s bid adding he hoped that BRICS member states would someday emerge with their own common currency.
"My dream is that we have a common currency so that our countries can do business without being dependent on the [US] dollar," Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said.
"One of the reasons, is that only one country is currently in possession of a dollar printing press, and this country does whatever it wants with the dollar currency," the Brazilian president continued.
"It is inadmissible that we must be constrained in doing business. I dream that the BRICS would come up with [its own] currency, just like the European Union emerged with the euro currency," he added.
The Brazilian president said this initiative should be included on the agenda of the meeting of South America’s leaders of the Brazilian capital of Brasilia later on May 30.
Last June, Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested at the BRICS summit that the possibility of creating an international reserve currency on the basis of the basket of BRICS nations’ currencies be considered. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva supported this initiative.