Russian political scientist , expert on ethnic conflicts and security Evgeny Mikhailov told Sputnik that the West's sanctions policy against the Russian Federation is having the opposite effect, creating conditions for the development of the BRICS group of emerging economies.
The head of the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, Aykhan Hajizada, said that the country has officially applied to become a member of BRICS.
According to Russian political scientist Evgeny Mikhailov, Azerbaijan - like many countries in South America, Asia and Africa - attaches to BRICS the opportunity to strengthen its sovereignty in conditions where some Western countries regularly try to interfere in the internal affairs and influence the foreign policy of other countries.
“Faced with the constant attempts of some Western countries to interfere in their internal affairs and influence their foreign policy, Azerbaijan, South American, African and Asian countries see joining BRICS as an opportunity to protect and strengthen their own sovereignty,” Mikhailov pointed out.
“One of the most important factors in the integration of both Azerbaijan and other new entrants is the moral aspect of BRICS. For the past 10 years, the entire global economic system has been shaken by the G7 countries’ inability to accept the reality that the US, the UK, Germany or France act as equal partners to Russia, China or any other country of the global South,” Mikhailov said.
According to him, it is clear that the West's policy of sanctions against Russia is counterproductive, creating the premise for the development of BRICS.
“In 2024, when the threat of a world war unprecedented in modern times looms across the planet, BRICS is increasingly being filled with new members. The applications for membership by Azerbaijan and Malaysia show this,” Mikhailov noted.
In early July 2024, within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in Astana, the “Joint Statement on Establishing a Strategic Partnership between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the People's Republic of China” was adopted.
According to Article 4.5 of the joint statement, Azerbaijan expressed its desire to join BRICS and China welcomed Azerbaijan's participation in BRICS cooperation.
BRICS is an association of countries founded in 2006, currently comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia.
