Iranian FM lauds BRICS for taking on independent, effective global role

TEHRAN, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Thursday hailed BRICS for playing an independent and effective role with a great willingness globally, which makes it a favorable target for Iran in pursuit of promoting multilateralism.

He made the remarks on Instagram while elaborating on the capacities of BRICS and the reasons for Iran's willingness to join the group.

BRICS is an acronym for five major emerging economies, namely Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.

Amir-Abdollahian added that the BRICS countries, home to more than 3 billion people, equal to 40 percent of the world's population, and with a total area as big as one-third of the Earth's, possess important cooperation with Iran.

He listed Iran's capacities that can benefit the BRICS members as its geopolitical and geostrategic location, rich energy resources, skilled, specialized and efficient workforce, eye-catching advances in different areas and political stability.

The 15th BRICS Summit held in Johannesburg, South Africa, announced on Thursday that six countries, including Iran, Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, have been invited to join the group, and their membership will take effect on Jan. 1, 2024.

Amir-Abdollahian also said the U.S. withdrawal from a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers in 2018, the Russia-Ukraine conflict and other international developments have well proved the negative function of the traditional international coalitions.

He stressed that adhering to the principle of pluralism through cooperation with diverse international mechanisms can be a favorable option for countries to safeguard their maximum interests.