UAE president welcomes BRICS membership

DUBAI, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Thursday welcomed his country's inclusion in BRICS, a bloc of emerging economies.

"We respect the vision of the BRICS leadership and appreciate the inclusion of the UAE as a member of this important group," he said on X, a social platform previously known as Twitter.

The decision was made by BRICS leaders on Thursday during the 15th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa.

"We look forward to a continued commitment of cooperation for the prosperity, dignity and benefit of all nations and people around the world," he added.

BRICS is an acronym for five emerging economies -- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. On Thursday, the group agreed to invite six more countries, namely Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, to join the bloc.

The six countries' membership will take effect on Jan. 1, 2024.