Azerbaijan has made it clear that it wants to join BRICS. This was announced by Sahiba Gafarova, Speaker of the National Assembly, during her speech at the X Parliamentary Forum of BRICS countries. She said:
“Azerbaijan promotes dialogue, cooperation, and solidarity in its foreign policy. This applies to bilateral relations and activities within international platforms. Specifically, this pertains to cooperation with BRICS.”
Gafarova believes that strengthening cooperation at the parliamentary level will help achieve this goal. Azerbaijan is reportedly committed to working with international organizations to build stronger ties.
At the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, Baku and Beijing signed a joint declaration on establishing strategic partnership.
In the joint declaration, both countries agreed to expand their cooperation in political, economic, and cultural areas. They want to increase interaction in international affairs and protect their mutual interests.
Beijing has welcomed Azerbaijan’s ambition to improve cooperation within the SCO and supports its legal status in the organization. The declaration stated that:
“Azerbaijan expresses its desire to join the BRICS, and China welcomes Azerbaijan’s participation in BRICS cooperation.”
The declaration also mentioned Azerbaijan’s support for the One China principle, recognizing Taiwan as part of China.
On the other hand, China supports Azerbaijan’s peace agenda in the South Caucasus and rejects geopolitical decisions that want to maintain regional confrontations.
The countries will focus on priority areas like energy, including oil and gas production and refining, green energy, transport infrastructure, information and telecommunications, digital economy, non-ferrous metals, and building materials.
They also want to develop transit and transport interaction using intelligent transport system technologies. China said it is ready to actively participate in the construction and use of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Corridor (“Middle Corridor”).
They plan to work closely with Azerbaijan and other countries along the route to make sure there is a smooth operation and development of this corridor for China-Europe freight trains.
Azerbaijan’s desire to join BRICS comes at a time when the organization is already considering expansion. Cryptopolitan reported that the BRICS invited six new countries to join in 2024.
Four of these countries (UAE, Egypt, Iran, and Ethiopia) have accepted the invitation, while Argentina declined, and Saudi Arabia is still deciding.
However, not all BRICS members are on board with the rapid expansion. China and Russia are pushing for a stronger BRICS to challenge the US and its Western allies.
But India, South Africa, and Brazil have concerns about this fast-tracked expansion. They worry it might disrupt policies and trade deals if too many countries join at once.
