After BRICS extended an invitation to six countries to join the group and ignored Islamabad, Pakistan attempted to downplay the snub and said that it had not made any formal requests to be a part of the bloc.
Pakistan Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch on Friday (August 25) said that the country will examine and make determination about future engagements with BRICS, according to a press release by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Pakistan.
This comes after the BRICS announced in its Summit in South Africa’s Johannesburg that it has invited six nations - Iran, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Argentina, Ethiopia and Egypt - to be a part of the group. The new membership will be effective from January 1 next year. The announcement of the same was made by South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa while issuing the Johannesburg Declaration of 15th BRICS Summit.
“We have followed the BRICS-related developments in Johannesburg. We have also noted its openness to inclusive multilateralism. Pakistan has said several times in the past that it is an ardent supporter of inclusive multilateralism,” Pakistan Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Baloch said during a media briefing.
“Pakistan has not made any formal request to join BRICS. We will examine the latest developments and make a determination about our future engagement with BRICS. Pakistan is an ardent supporter of multilateralism and as a member of several multilateral organizations it has always played an important role for global peace and development,” she added.
She claimed that Pakistan is an “important developing country” that has made many contributions for the promotion of peace and cooperation among the countries of the South.
“We shall continue our efforts at the international fora for fostering the spirit of international cooperation and revitalization of inclusive multilateralism,” she said.
Reacting to India’s success in its lunar mission as Chandrayaan-3 made a historic landing on the South police of the Moon on August 23, the Pakistan Foreign Ministry Spokesperson said that the ISRO scientists deserve appreciation.
“I can only say that it is a great scientific achievement, for which ISRO scientists deserve appreciation,” she said.
(With ANI inputs)
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