Libya's Eastern-Based Gov’t Eyes BRICS Membership, Says Foreign Minister
BENGHAZI (Sputnik) - The eastern-based Government of National Stability in Libya is seriously considering the issues of joining BRICS, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the interim Libyan government Abdul Hadi Al-Hweij told Sputnik.
"BRICS is an important economic bloc ... I am among those who support Libya joining BRICS. We are studying this step as part of our strategy to strengthen economic ties with developing countries and to realize sustainable economic development. We should seriously work on this step ... The government has taken steps to this end, we have prepared a number of studies, but such decisions require discussions with various political circles," the official said.
BRICS was established in 2009 as a cooperation platform for the largest developing economies, uniting Brazil, Russia, India and China. South Africa joined the group in 2010. On January 1, BRICS expanded its membership to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates. Saudi Arabia has not formalized its participation but has been taking part in BRICS meetings.
