Argentina Seeks India's Support to Become BRICS Member to Strengthen Cooperation Among Global South

New Delhi has been “cautious” about enrolling new members in the five-nation BRICS’ grouping, expressing concerns that expanding the group could make it more “China-centric”. New Delhi says that new members could only be admitted based on “consensus”.

Argentina's Foreign Minister Santiago Cafiero has sought the support of New Delhi in getting its BRICS’ membership approved, as he met his Indian counterpart S. Jaishankar in Buenos Aires on Thursday.

"One of the topics of conversation was the possibility of the incorporation of Argentina to the BRICS, to strengthen an agenda of the global south in the face of polarization that the world is currently witnessing,” Cafiero said during a press conference after the meeting.

The developing countries, including the BRICS states, have expressed concerns about the impact of unilateral sanctions by the Western states against Moscow over its special military operation in Ukraine.

Both India and Argentina, which were invited as guests to this year’s G7 Leaders’ Summit in Germany, have said that the Western sanctions have adversely affected the post-COVID economic recovery, particularly in developing countries, by causing a spike in global food and energy prices.

Cafiero further remarked that it was in the interest of both the countries to not only develop their economic ties, but also the bilateral political partnership, noting that India has emerged as Argentina’s fourth-biggest trading partner, with bilateral trade last year reaching a record $6 billion.

Argentina, along with Iran, applied for full-fledged BRICS’ membership at the virtual leaders’ summit hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping on June 24. A joint statement after the leaders’ meeting called for more discussions on the “BRICS expansion process”.

The joint statement also urged the need to clarify the need for the criteria for including new BRICS’ members and incorporating new entrants into the grouping based on “full consultations and consensus” among the existing states, reportedly reflective of India’s concerns about expanding the group, which has a formal charter or membership rules.

The Argentine Foreign Ministry said in July that the country has managed to secure China’s “formal support” for its BRICS’ membership, after a meeting between Cafiero and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (FMM) in Bali.

Jaishankar Bats for Increased Cooperation Among Global South

The Indian Foreign Minister, for his part, expressed support for the idea of strengthening bilateral ties among the developing countries.

“As for the current global situation, in terms of the polarization that is being experienced, countries that have independent points of view, such as India and Argentina, can work more closely on the situation,” Jaishankar told his hosts.

The Indian Foreign Minister further batted for increased cooperation in the realms of energy and food security between the two countries.

Jaishankar also urged for enhanced ties in the areas of defense and nuclear technology between the two countries.