Argentine President Javier Milei has officially declined an invitation to join the BRICS group, which consists of major emerging economies.
The presidency announced on Friday that Milei sent letters to the leaders of the BRICS countries to formalise his decision.
The bloc, which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, recently announced that it would be admitting six new members to counter the Western-led global order.
Argentina, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates were set to become members on January 1, 2024.
The letters, signed by Milei and published by various media outlets, stated that Argentina’s membership was deemed inappropriate at this time.
Milei, Argentina’s libertarian outsider, gained power last month following his stunning defeat of the country’s established political parties, and he had sworn on the campaign trail not to join BRICS.
In his letters, he said his foreign policy “differs in many aspects from that of the previous government. In this sense, some decisions made by the previous administration will be reviewed.”
During his election campaign, Milei said, “Our geopolitical alignment is with the United States and Israel. We are not going to ally with communists.”
Despite threatening to sever ties with key business partners China and Brazil upon taking office, he has adopted a more conciliatory tone.
