TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – President Joko Widodo or Jokowi has been in South Africa since August 20 to attend the 15th BRICS Summit. The event is a summit-level meeting of leaders from the five member countries, Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, which have a major influence on the world economy.
“Indonesia was invited to the BRICS Summit. And of course, on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit there will be various bilateral meetings with various other heads of state,” Jokowi said in a video posted to the Presidential Secretariat’s YouTube channel on Sunday.
According to Reuters, prominent economist Jim O’Neill of Goldman Sachs first coined the name BRIC in 2001, referring to Brazil, Russia, India, and China. South Africa became the first nation to be included in the group when it expanded in 2010.
BRICS was founded as an informal group in 2009 as a Russian initiative with the goal of giving member states a platform to challenge the world order dominated by the USA and its allies.
Despite not being a formal multilateral organization like the United Nations (UN), World Bank, or Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), BRICS has had a major influence in presenting alternative voices in the world’s geopolitics and economics, as it stands as an alliance aiming to achieve common interests and exert greater influence in global policies.
More than 40 countries have expressed interest in becoming part of the group, including Indonesia, as well as Argentina, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), to name a few.
Indonesia’s intent to be involved in BRICS can be seen in mid-year when Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi virtually joined the ‘Friends of BRICS’ conference that was held in Cape Town, South Africa, on June 2.
According to Retno, at the G7 Outreach Summit in Hiroshima in May, President Jokowi also mentioned BRICS in addition to raising global economic issues. “I hope BRICS can support this step and not become part of economic injustices,” Retno said.
M RAFI AZHARI | M JULNIS FIRMANSYAH
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