BRICS Member Foreign Minister Approaches Indonesia To Join

Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi and his staff in a working meeting with Commission I of the DPR (ANTARA/Through Susthira K.)

JAKARTA - Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said foreign ministers ( Foreign Ministers) from BRICS member countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) took an approach in order to invite Indonesia to join.

"From the start there was a thought from BRICS to expand membership, all BRICS foreign ministers took an approach to Indonesia to invite Indonesia into the BRICS," said Retno in a working meeting with Commission I of the DPR as reported by ANTARA, Thursday, August 31.

However, he continued, Indonesia is still conducting a study to consider the benefits of joining BRICS membership.

"Internal studies are still being carried out to consider what the benefits are from the political side, what economic side," he said.

He said Indonesia had not yet submitted an "expression of interest" letter to become part of the membership of BRICS.

"To join BRICS, the country must convey what the letter 'expression of interest' said. So, like a letter to say that I am interested in entering BRICS and so on, and so far we have not conveyed Indonesia," he said.

However, he said, Indonesia has good relations with all BRICS member countries, as stated by Indonesian President Joko Widodo.

He explained that President Joko Widodo's presence at the 15th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, was because he was invited as a guest representing Indonesia as well as Chair of ASEAN 2023.

"Mr. President at the time in South Africa also said that individually these BRICS member countries we have a strong relationship with all BRICS member countries," he said.

Previously, Thursday (24/8), President Joko Widodo emphasized that Indonesia was still reviewing and considering participating as a member of the BRICS alliance (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa).

"We want to review first, calculate first, we don't want to rush," said Jokowi after attending the 15th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, Thursday, according to a video uploaded by the Presidential Secretariat.

At the BRICS Summit which took place from August 22 to 24, 2023 in Johannesburg, President Jokowi was present as one of the speakers.

The BRICS Alliance currently includes a quarter of the global economy and is home to more than 40 percent of the world's population.