Parliament Speaker announces desire to join BRICS
Speaker of the National Assembly of Azerbaijan Sahiba Gafarova has announced that her country wishes to join BRICS.
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A statement from the National Assembly of Azerbaijan reported that Gafarova attended and addressed the BRICS Parliamentary Forum held in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Gafarova noted that in order to ensure the effectiveness of the international system, relations must be built on the basis of mutual benefit and respect, and that strengthening true multilateralism is important.
Stating that Azerbaijan promotes dialogue, cooperation, and solidarity both in its bilateral relations and in multilateral formats, Gafarova said, "These principles are also the priorities of BRICS. Azerbaijan expresses its desire to join BRICS."
During the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Heads of State Summit held in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, on July 3-4, a "Joint Declaration on the Establishment of a Strategic Partnership" was adopted between Azerbaijan and China.
The declaration stated Azerbaijan's desire to join BRICS, and noted that China welcomed this request.
Established in June 2006 at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum with the coming together of Brazil, Russia, India, and China, BRICS became a multinational structure with the participation of South Africa in 2010, and Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) this year. More than 30 countries have applied to join BRICS.