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BRICS expansion driven by desire to become alternative to collective West — Serbia's Vucic

"Thus, the geopolitical game is becoming more and more interesting," the Serbian leader noted

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic

© AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic

BELGRADE, August 22. /TASS/. The expansion of BRICS will be a historic moment, and the association will gain the status of a global player that wants to become an alternative to the collective West, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic told reporters during his visit to Athens.

"The BRICS Summit begins today. <...> I think it will be a historic step for them if they decide to expand BRICS. I'm not sure if they will be able to make that decision today, but if they do, it will certainly be a historic decision and an important decision. They are becoming, after many decades, a global player that is trying to create an alternative to the collective West," Vucic said, according to a Tanjug news agency broadcast.

"Thus, the geopolitical game is becoming more and more interesting," the Serbian leader concluded.

The BRICS summit is being held in Johannesburg on August 22-24. South Africa is presiding over the BRICS group this year. The country’s BRICS Sherpa Anil Suklal said earlier that about 30 countries are now interested in joining BRICS. Some of them have submitted formal applications, including Algeria, Bangladesh, Egypt and Ethiopia. The Indian newspaper Business Standard quoted its sources as saying that five countries could be admitted to BRICS at the summit in Johannesburg on August 22-24: Argentina, Egypt, Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

Russia will assume the rotating BRICS presidency in early 2024.

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