During the last BRICS Heads of State summit in Johannesburg, Argentina was admitted as a Member State of the BRICS group as of 1 January 2024. I think this is not the proper approach to our foreign policy, nor is it the sign we want to give to the world.
First of all, is not the right time For the political context in which Argentina faces today. This decision of major geopolitical importance takes three months to finish the presidential term and a panorama in which the officialism went third in the mid-August primary elections.
It is also not the time in terms of the international context. We are entering a block in which Russia is a founding member, in the midst of the invasion of Ukraine and in which Putin is considered by most of the world a "enemy". What sign are we giving the rest of the world? In a scenario of commercial rivalry with China, this approach could impact our relationship with the US and negotiations with the IMF.
This adds to the fact that the yield of the block implies doing it with Iran, a country accused of the worst terrorist attacks in our country, considered practically an "enemy" of the Argentine State after confirmation of the implication of former Iranian officials in the investigations around the attacks.
To join us in a block where most of the Member States that integrate the body do not share the same vision around democracy and human rights, among other values that we want to promote, not only is a risk in itself, but also of course the group's rhetoric aims to challenge the global order and present itself as a space that implies an alternative to the West.
This does not mean that we should distance ourselves from these countries, but I think that in the external trade as an imperative for our development. Of course, our national interest must be governed by trade and promote investment, and for this we must be open to all these countries that have a large percentage of global GDP (36%). However, membership of the BRICS does not represent any tariff advantage, nor has there been a significant increase in foreign direct investment among the members of the bloc.
In addition, to obtain loans it is not necessary more than to enter the NDB (New Development Bank), which is the bank of the block. To enter the bank, it is not necessary to be a member of the block, as is the case both Bangladesh and Uruguay initiated hospitalization processes without being full members of the block. And yet as Argentina joined Asian Infrastructure Development Bank in 2021.So I don't simply talk about taking a step next to the block and rejecting the invitation. I understand that we cannot give the dujo to despise this invitation, especially because it has been publicly defended by Brazil, a country with which we must privilege our bilateral relations. But given the argument, I think our focus should be to point to the BRICS bank ticket To obtain commercial advantages and access loans, without necessarily being stranded in a block that aims to challenge the West to which we decide to belong.
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