What if the BRICS welcomed European countries?

Emmanuel Macron, the French president, has asked to participate in the next BRICS summit. European countries would like to join the grouping.

Last March, France carried out a rather unprecedented financial operation: to pay for a liquefied natural gas (LNG) contract concluded with the United Arab Emirates, Paris used Chinese yuan, where France was more accustomed to using dollars. “It was the first time that a European country, an ally of the United States, carried out a significant transaction via the currency of its rival”, indicates the publication. Cointribune who believes that "this development, which is not insignificant, says a lot about the geopolitical war being played out against America".

Would France seek to move away from Washington? Or has she simply decided not to put all her eggs in one basket? In any case, another astonishing fact: French President Emmanuel Macron asked his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa to be invited to the next BRICS summit, which should theoretically take place in Pretoria. An interest confirmed by the French Minister of Foreign Affairs who believes that "dialogue is always positive, even when we are not 100% in agreement on everything".

Paris, as a simple observer?

The South African Minister of Foreign Affairs, for her part, assures that a French presence at a BRICS summit would be “an innovation”. But not sure that everyone likes it. We remember that Emmanuel Macron's request for an invitation to a summit of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) last October in Dakar provoked the anger of several participants, and the meeting was finally canceled to avoid offending the Member States or the French President. However, this time the situation is different.

Because for several weeks there has been a funny rumor. France would indeed be a potential candidate to join the BRICS. Watcher Guru, one of the leading media outlets in the cryptosphere, believes that France could be "the first European country to join the alliance". A month ago, without citing them, South African BRICS Ambassador Anil Sooklal confirmed that some European countries had expressed interest in joining the movement. France could, according to observers, be part of it for financial reasons: Paris is indeed seeking to end its dependence on the American dollar, in terms of world trade.

Belarus is positioning itself

In his words, moreover, French President Emmanuel Macron called on Europe to “resist” the temptation of the Old Continent becoming a branch of the United States. But if the reasons for a French candidacy for the BRICS were purely linked to a battle against the dependence on the dollar, they would be a failure. Because, as we saw during the meeting between the French and South African foreign ministers, when it comes to politics, Paris and Pretoria are at odds. A participation of Emmanuel Macron at the BRICS summit "can only be done in full respect of international law", has already warned Paris, which indicates in half-words that a presence of the French president requires that Vladimir Poutine be, him , excluded from the vertex.

France in the BRICS, therefore, remains a fantasy for the moment. But that doesn't mean that the BRICS won't one day be able to welcome other European countries. As we know, several States have expressed their interest in joining the movement or have even, for some, applied for membership. On the European side, a country has already expressed its desire to join the BRICS: Belarus. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has called for an economic union with the BRICS. And with the support of Moscow, Belarus could actually have a chance of one day joining the non-aligned alliance.