Will The BRICS Group Decide To Expand?

The head of the National Organization for Economic Development, Mr Nasreddin Roubaie, expects the “BRICS” group to take a decision to accept expansion, that is, the possibility of studying the accession of new members during the upcoming summit to be held in South Africa starting Tuesday, and then consider the applications deposited on its table during subsequent meetings, while confirming that “there are no leaks so far regarding the decisions that can be taken at this level,” he said.
Mr Roubaie said in a statement to “Echorouk” that all expectations indicate that the BRICS group may take a decision at the summit, which will begin its activities on Tuesday in Johannesburg, South Africa, to expand membership, provided that the applications for membership on its table are reviewed in future meetings, where 23 countries have deposited a request to join this bloc of emerging economies, while 40 other countries have expressed interest in the group.
The head of the organization believes that the presence of Finance Minister Aziz Fayed at the expected BRICS summit from Tuesday to Thursday, accompanied by representatives of the National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, some economic operators, the director of the National Agency for the Promotion of Foreign Trade “ALGEX” and the Algerian Agency for Investment Promotion Omar Rakache and the director of Air Algerie, reflects Algeria’s desire to join the BRICS bloc and its efforts to develop partnership with the countries of this group, which is witnessing progress and development at all levels.
According to Mr Roubaie, in the first stage, Algeria is seeking to obtain initial approval to be an observer member of the group for a few years, before becoming a permanent member of the bloc, after achieving the required economic indicators and achieving the economic renaissance that the President of the Republic, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, outlines through a huge program. The results are visible today on the ground.
Our interlocutor stressed that Algeria’s focus on the partnership with BRICS is in parallel with its devotion to cooperation with neighboring countries and African countries, especially with the eastern neighbor Tunisia, recalling the results of the Algerian-Tunisian Economic Council held last week in the Tunisian capital within the framework of strengthening economic relations between Algeria and Tunisia, where the executive office and an economic body under the name of Algerian-Tunisian Economic Council were installed.
Mr Roubaie Nasreddine, President of the National Organization for Economic Development, represented the Algerian side, while Yassine Vouia, President of the National Organization of Entrepreneurs, represented the Tunisian side, under the supervision of Samir Said, Minister of Economy and Planning, in the presence of prominent Tunisian national personalities, members of the government, deputies of the Chamber of Deputies as well as heads of National organizations and heads of associations in Tunisia and the economic adviser of the Algerian embassy in Tunis.
The Executive Office of the Joint Economic Council has also been set up to appoint the members of the Council in the next two months, which is also open to all economic actors, including employers’ organizations and professional associations in the two countries to join and participate, and the opportunities offered by the BRICS bloc and the benefits of Algeria’s application to join it.
Mr Roubaie underlined that the strengthening of economic cooperation between Algeria and Tunisia will focus in the future on doubling the number of small and medium sized enterprises, especially in the border provinces, to reduce the rate of smuggling, a point that was touched on by the two parties during the meeting of the Business Council, where young people are directed to activities in the field of entrepreneurship and supported to be able to create independent institutions.
Preparations are also underway to create a partnership council that will include all neighboring countries, namely Niger, Libya, Algeria, Tunisia, Mali and Mauritania, to coordinate economic, industrial and commercial cooperation. However, it is working with its Tunisian partner to create partnerships and shore up trade exchanges between the two sides, especially in the border provinces, in order to curb the scourge of smuggling.