The BRICS group, an influential intergovernmental organization, has expanded its reach into the Middle East, welcoming several key nations from the region. As of 2024–2025, the Middle Eastern countries holding full membership in BRICS include Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Egypt.
This expansion follows an invitation extended at the August 2023 summit, where Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates were invited to join as full members, effective January 1, 2024. However, Argentina later declined the invitation. Consequently, the BRICS bloc currently comprises eleven nations: its five original members—Brazil, China, India, Russia, and South Africa—along with six new members admitted in 2024-25, which are Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia (joining January 2025), Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
The significance of these new memberships was highlighted during the BRICS Deputy Foreign Ministers and Special Envoys for the Middle East and North Africa (BRICS MENA) meeting, chaired by India in Delhi on April 23-24, 2026. This gathering provided a platform for member states to exchange views on critical regional issues, including the recent conflict in the Middle East, the Palestine issue, and the Gaza situation. Discussions also covered the provision of humanitarian aid, the vital role of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), and the importance of a zero-tolerance approach to terrorism.
Key takeaways from the BRICS-MENA meeting further emphasized regional stability and humanitarian concerns, addressing topics such as the ceasefire in Lebanon, post-conflict reconstruction in Syria, political settlements in Yemen and Libya, stability in Iraq, and the humanitarian crisis in Sudan.
BRICS, originally conceived by Goldman Sachs economist Jim O’Neill in 2001 to describe fast-growing economies, officially formed in 2006 with its first ministerial meeting. The inaugural BRIC Summit took place in 2009, and South Africa joined in 2011, expanding the acronym to BRICS. The group continues to evolve, reflecting a shifting global economic and political landscape.
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