Mexican President Denies Rumors Of Wanting To Join BRICS

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador/PHOTO via Instagram @lopezobrador

JAKARTA - Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador denied rumors his government wanted to join the economic bloc consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS).

"We will not participate in this block, in this association. Of course, we welcome the fact that other countries are doing it. However, for economic, environmental and geopolitical reasons, we will continue to strengthen the North American alliance and the rest of America", he said as quoted by ANTARA from Anadolu, Wednesday, August 9.

Rumors about Mexico wanting to join the bloc emerged in early March when South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor said a number of developing countries had expressed interest in joining BRICS, including Mexico.

However, Lopez Obrador firmly denied the rumors.

"Our proposal is to strengthen agreements with the United States and Canada, to consolidate ourselves as an area, to strengthen ourselves, to help each other, to complement each other, to share investments, to share technology, something fundamental, the workforce," he said.

BRICS emerged as a very promising alternative to countries in the southern hemisphere that seek to fight trade and Western economic pressure.

The bloc has more than 40 percent of the world's population and 30 percent of global GDP.

This isn't the first time Lopez Obrador has refused to undermine US influence for a closer relationship with other Latin American countries.

In January, Lopez Obrador rejected the initiative to launch a joint currency for Latin America proposed by Brazil and Argentina.

He said Mexico's interest was to uphold the US dollar as a currency benchmark.

However, the Mexican leader continues to promise efforts to integrate the entire America and emphasize the broader relationship between North America and all Latin America.

"We will consolidate relations with North America, and we will seek the integration of the entire America in the medium and long term, but we will change old policies that are unsuccessful and also convince political classes, especially political classes, especially the US, about the importance of Latin America," said Lopez Obrador.