- Saturday, December 21, 2024
BRICS was founded in 2006 by Brazil, Russia, India and China, and South Africa joined in 2011. This year Egypt, Iran, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Ethiopia became its full members
By: Shajil Kumar
RUSSIA has said it would support Pakistan’s bid to join BRICS as the two countries decided to further strengthen their ties.
“We are glad that Pakistan has applied (for membership). BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation are friendly organisations. We will support this,” Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk said at a press conference after talks with his Pakistani counterpart and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar in Islamabad on Wednesday.
“Over the past year, we have seen a significant expansion of BRICS, and countries from all over the world are showing great interest in joining,” Overchuk was quoted as saying by Russia’s state-owned TASS news agency.
BRICS was founded in 2006 by Brazil, Russia, India and China, and South Africa joined in 2011.
On January 1, 2024, Egypt, Iran, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Ethiopia became its full members.
Bilateral trade ties
During the press conference, Dar stated that discussions with his Russian counterpart focused on expanding economic relations between the two countries.
He said that Pakistan-Russia trade reached the $1 billion mark last year, and expansion of trade ties was a priority for both nations.
“Energy cooperation with Russia holds potential, and we aim to explore this avenue further,” he said, adding that Pakistan is also eager to develop connectivity projects, including rail and road networks between the two countries and beyond.
Dar also said Pakistan views Russia as an important player in the West, South and Central Asia, and strengthening mutually beneficial cooperation with Russia remains an important priority for Pakistan’s foreign policy.
He said Islamabad aims to continue cooperation with Moscow on realising the common goal of peace and stability in Afghanistan.
Overchuk’s visit is taking place in pursuance of the vision of Pakistan prime minister Shehbaz Sharif and Russian president Vladimir Putin to strengthen bilateral relations.
Russia will host the 2024 BRICS Summit in Kazan on October 22-24. (PTI)
