South Africa Won’t Be Strong-Armed During BRICS Summit

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has made it clear that the country won’t be bullied into siding with any of the global superpowers during an upcoming international bloc summit.

The BRICS nations — Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa — will meet on Tuesday, 22 August, in Johannesburg, Gauteng, as they aim to widen their influence.

“We will not be drawn into a contest between global powers. Instead, our country strives to work with all countries for global peace and development,” Ramaphosa declared during a televised address on Sunday, 20 August.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese Premier Xi Jinping are among dozens of leaders who are expected to attend the conference, either in person or virtually.

Russian President, Vladimir Putin, currently has an International Criminal Court arrest warrant against him on account of his country’s invasion of Ukraine. As such, Russia will be represented by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov while Putin is expected to join online.

While the BRICS nations currently account for around a quarter of the global economy, there has been a significant rise in interest from other countries to join the group in 2023. According to reports, as many as 23 nations have already submitted their applications.

Image Credit: Source