Uzbekistan Becomes BRICS Partner Country

On July 6, the 17th BRICS High-Level Summit took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

During the event, the heads of BRICS member states officially accepted Indonesia as a new member of the bloc. Furthermore, ten countries, including Uzbekistan, were granted the status of BRICS partner states, The Caspian Post reports, citing Uzbek media.

“We accept the Republic of Indonesia as a BRICS member, and the Republic of Belarus, the Plurinational State of Bolivia, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Republic of Cuba, the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Malaysia, the Kingdom of Thailand, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, the Republic of Uganda, and the Republic of Uzbekistan as BRICS partner countries,” read the joint statement of the 17th BRICS Summit.

So far, Uzbekistan has not made an official statement regarding the nature of its cooperation with the organization. Kun.uz has sent relevant inquiries to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs press service.

During Sunday’s BRICS session titled "Peace and Security and Reform of Global Governance," Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for reforms in other international institutions as well:

“The expansion of BRICS and the addition of new partners show this structure's capacity to adapt to changing times. Now, we must approach reforms of institutions such as the United Nations Security Council, the World Trade Organization (WTO), and multilateral development banks with the same determination.

In an era of artificial intelligence - where technology evolves every week - it is simply unacceptable for global institutions to remain unchanged for 80 years. You cannot run a 21st-century agenda on a 20th-century typewriter,” Modi said.

BRICS leaders also approved a declaration on Climate Finance, a statement on Global Governance of Artificial Intelligence, and a Partnership Initiative to Eliminate Socially Driven Diseases.

“These initiatives reflect BRICS countries’ joint efforts to develop inclusive and sustainable solutions to global challenges,” the joint declaration noted.

For context, BRICS was originally formed in 2009 during the first summit between the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, and China. South Africa later joined as a full member. So far, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, and now Indonesia have also gained full membership. This year marks the first time Indonesia is participating as a member state. The bloc now officially represents more than half of the global population.

According to various sources, over 30 countries have expressed interest in joining BRICS as either full members or partner nations.