JOHANNESBURG, August 24. /TASS/. African countries play a key role in the development of the Global South, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said, speaking at the meeting of the BRICS Summit and its partners - the "BRICS - Africa" and the "BRICS+" dialogue.
"Africa is the main driver of the development of the Global South. […] Fortunately, the political and economic weight of Africa, which is an inseparable part of the developing world, is growing constantly," Raisi said, addressing South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The 15th BRICS Summit took place in Johannesburg on August 22-24 under South Africa’s presidency and it has become the largest meeting of national leaders of the Global south. Leaders of 54 African countries were invited.
The participants of the summit agreed that Argentina, Egypt, Iran, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Ethiopia will join the association starting on January 1, 2024. A new list of potential new members will be prepared for the next summit.