Venezuela de facto joining BRICS, accession a formality

Yvan Gil Pinto noted that Caracas had won the support of all members

Venezuela is actually joining BRICS, with its accession to the grouping being a mere formality, the Bolivarian republic’s top diplomat Yvan Gil Pinto told LaIguanaTV in an interview.

“We can say that Venezuela is actually joining BRICS. <…> We are working already, our ministers attend BRICS meetings, and we take part in commission work, information exchanges, summits and foreign ministers’ meetings,” the top diplomat said.

“Therefore, we are in the orbit of BRICS, while formalities and the way of accession <…> will depend on what the organization decides,” Gil Pinto emphasized.

He noted that BRICS was currently expanding and that Caracas had won the support of all member countries regarding the accession.

“Venezuela is working [toward the accession]. [Venezuelan] President Nicolas Maduro was invited by [Russian President Vladimir] Putin to attend the coming BRICS summit in October,” the Venezuelan foreign minister said. He refused to specify if the Venezuelan leader was set to participate in the 16th BRICS Summit to take place in Kazan on October 22-24.

Venezuela is at the doorstep of joining the BRICS group of nations with its resources, the country’s Executive Vice President Delcy Rodriguez said in early July.