Malaysia Can Become Partner Country of BRICS First - PM Anwar
KUALA LUMPUR, July 9 (Bernama) -- Malaysia will first become a “partner country” of the intergovernmental organisation BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) before finalising its full participation in the grouping, says Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
There is a possibility that Malaysia's application to join BRICS will take some time, but due to its good relations with member countries, Malaysia could become a partner country first.
Anwar said during a session of Dewan Rakyat (the lower house of the Malaysian Parliament) on Tuesday that the participation in BRICS does not conflict with Malaysia’s foreign policy.
He was responding to a question from a Member of Parliament regarding the mechanism to be taken by the government towards BRICS membership.
Preliminary assessments indicate that Malaysia's participation in BRICS has the potential to gain various benefits, particularly in improving trade and export performance, as well as strengthening the country's economic resilience.
Anwar said that despite Malaysia's good relationships with foreign countries, including those in the West and in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), Malaysia does not fully agree on all matters.
"In fact, we have major disagreements and differences on the Gaza issue, for example, the issues of developing countries, and the issues of trade competition in the World Trade Organisation (WTO), but that does not cause us to cut ties, especially when the priority is trade," he said.
“Cumulatively, the gross domestic product (GDP) of BRICS member countries amounted to US$26.6 trillion, which is 26.2 per cent of the world's GDP, almost the same as the economic strength of the G7 countries. The economic strength of the BRICS member countries as a bloc will help increase international trade among the member countries," he continued.
The Prime Minister said BRICS member countries have a large population of 3.21 billion, which continues to increase with the inclusion of Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which have a total of 333 million people, forming a mega-market that includes as many as 3.54 billion people, or almost 45 per cent of the world's population.
On 18 June, Anwar confirmed that he had expressed Malaysia’s intention to join BRICS to the President of Brazil, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
BRICS was established in 2009 as a cooperation platform for emerging economies comprising Brazil, Russia, India, and China, with South Africa joining the group in 2010. In January 2024, Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) joined the organisation as new members.
-- BERNAMA
