Johannesburg, 24 Aug. 2023 (People’s Daily/Xinhua)

The 15th BRICS summit concluded on Thursday with declaration announced by the President of South Africa and Chair of BRICS, Cyril Ramaphosa at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

BRICS leaders agreed on Thursday to invite six countries, namely Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, to join the group.

The six countries’ membership will take effect on Jan. 1, 2024, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced at a press conference during the 15th BRICS Summit.

“We value the interests of other countries in building the partnership of BRICS,” said Ramaphosa.

BRICS leaders met here from Aug. 22 to 24 to discuss issues including deepening BRICS cooperation and the group’s expansion.

Following is the 15th BRICS Summit outcome announcement by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa  

We successfully concluded the XV BRICS Summit yesterday.

It is the first BRICS Summit to be hosted in-person since the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent global travel restrictions.

Leading up to the Summit, there was a wide-ranging BRICS business programme aimed at attracting investment, promoting collaboration and showcasing opportunities within South Africa, Africa and BRICS countries.

We welcome the clear vision of Ms Dilma Rousseff as the President of the New Development Bank on the role that the Bank should play in support of infrastructure and sustainable development in Africa and the Global South.

We celebrated the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the BRICS Business Council and welcomed the self-review by the Council and the subsequent recommendations made to Leaders.

We also welcomed the work of the BRICS Women’s Business Alliance in their first in-person engagement with leaders. We particularly welcomed the participation of youth representatives in the Summit.

We addressed our expectations for the BRICS economic partnership to generate tangible benefits for our communities and deliver viable solutions for common challenges faced by the global South.

We shared our vision of BRICS as a champion of the needs and concerns of the peoples of the Global South. These include the need for beneficial economic growth, sustainable development and reform of multilateral systems.

We reiterate our commitment to inclusive multilateralism and upholding international law, including the purposes and principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter.

We are concerned about ongoing conflicts in many parts of the world. We stress our commitment to the peaceful resolution of differences and disputes through dialogue and inclusive consultation.

The Summit noted that an unbalanced recovery from the hardship of the COVID-19 pandemic is exacerbating inequality across the world.

We encourage multilateral financial institutions and international organisations to play a constructive role in building global consensus on economic policies.

We have noted that there is global momentum for the use of local currencies, alternative financial arrangements and alternative payment systems.

As BRICS, we are ready to explore opportunities for improving the stability, reliability and fairness of the global financial architecture.

The Summit agreed to task the BRICS Finance Ministers and/or Central Bank Governors, as appropriate, to consider the issue of local currencies, payment instruments and platforms and report back to the BRICS leaders by the next Summit.

This Summit reaffirmed the importance of BRICS people-to-people exchanges in enhancing mutual understanding, friendship and cooperation.

The Summit appreciates the progress made over the last year in the fields of media, culture, education, sports, arts, youth, civil society and academic exchanges.

We adopted the Johannesburg II Declaration which reflects key BRICS messages on matters of global economic, financial and political importance.

It demonstrates the shared values and common interests that underlie our mutually beneficial cooperation as the five BRICS countries.

BRICS itself is a diverse group of nations.

It is an equal partnership of countries that have differing views but have a shared vision for a better world.

As the five BRICS countries, we have reached agreement on the guiding principles, standards, criteria and procedures of the BRICS expansion process, which has been under discussion for quite a while.

We have consensus on the first phase of this expansion process, and further phases will follow.

We have decided to invite the Argentine Republic, the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to become full members of BRICS. The membership will take effect from 1 January 2024.

We value the interest of other countries in building a partnership with BRICS.

We have tasked our Foreign Ministers to further develop the BRICS partner country model and a list of prospective partner countries and report by the next Summit.

Today, we will be hosting leaders from Africa and the Global South in the BRICS–Africa Outreach and BRICS Plus Dialogue.

This is so that we can have an inclusive dialogue on key issues affecting developing economies and identify actions that we can take together towards a more equitable, inclusive and representative world.

May I conclude by thanking the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India and China, together with their delegations, for participating in this most successful XV BRICS Summit held in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Through this Summit, BRICS has embarked on a new chapter in its effort to build a world that is fair, a world that is just, a world that is also inclusive and prosperous.

I thank you.

Chinese President Xi Jinping in his address to the 15th BRICS Summit participants called for efforts to deepen business and financial cooperation among BRICS countries to boost economic growth.

Xi said the world economic recovery remains shaky, and challenges for developing countries are even more formidable, hampering their efforts to realize the Sustainable Development Goals. “Development is an inalienable right of all countries, not a privilege reserved for a few,” Xi said.

He called on BRICS countries to be fellow companions on the journey of development and revitalization, and oppose decoupling and supply chains disruption as well as economic coercion.

BRICS countries should focus on practical cooperation, particularly in such fields as digital economy, green development, and supply chain, and bolster economic, trade and financial exchanges, Xi said.

He added that China will set up a China-BRICS Science and Innovation Incubation Park for the New Era to support the deployment of innovation results.

President Xi said that it is unacceptable to package one’s own rules and regulations as international norms. International norms should be written and upheld by all countries based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, rather than dictated by those with the strongest muscles and loudest voice, Xi said when addressing the 15th BRICS Summit.

He also said that ganging up to form exclusive groups is even more unacceptable.

President Xi said that the BRICS countries have agreed on quick action to start artificial intelligence (AI) study group and expand AI cooperation.