RIO DE JANEIRO, September 14. /TASS/. The results of the BRICS group’s recent summit in Johannesburg, where Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa agreed to invite another five nations to join, should not be viewed through the lens of the "last century’s Cold War," Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira said in an article he published in the Folha de S.Paulo daily newspaper.

He cautioned against adhering to a borrowed-from-abroad mentality, similar to last century’s Cold War thinking, in making assessments. "Brazil and its diplomatic agency have always known how to chart a course, both through the two world wars and in the Cold War era," the top Brazilian diplomat noted. Should similar situations arise in the future, he said, Latin America’s largest nation will not automatically take any side or join alliances. "We have enough experience and access to any interlocutors, as well as a clear understanding of [our] national interests and strategic thinking for that," he added.

Vieira also disputed those who have expressed doubts about whether Brasilia would be able to maintain its longstanding diplomatic status in an expanded BRICS. "Today, 15 years on since the grouping was founded, BRICS has come to play a more important role and this political capital will continue to grow and bring political dividends to all its members," the Brazilian diplomat explained. As a country seeking a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, Brazil would have made an irrational step had it decided to block BRICS from expanding, Vieira argued. According to him, BRICS members are united in their ambition to establish a more just international system that would prioritize universal progress.

"The Brazilian government is satisfied with the results of the summit, which fully reflect the goals our country has been pursuing," the Brazilian foreign minister concluded. He gave his assurances that any potential problems further down the road, both those that are being singled out now and those that may arise later, would be resolved on the basis of the very pragmatic and independent positions that he said were characteristic of Brazilian foreign policy.

At their summit in Johannesburg last month, the BRICS leaders agreed to admit Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as new members, effective January 1, 2024.