Ragui El-Etreby, The Egyptian Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for International and Regional Multilateral Economic Affairs discussed with Sergey Ryabkov, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister and Personal Representative of the Russian President to the BRICS Economic Bloc arrangements for Egypt’s accession to the bloc as of the first of January, coinciding with the transfer of the bloc’s presidency from South Africa to Russia according to the decisions of the recent BRICS summit in Johannesburg, August 2023.
El-Etreby said that the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister stressed – during the discussions held in Cairo – his country’s support and welcome of Egypt’s joining the bloc as one of the most important influential countries regionally and internationally, in addition to its extensive experience in many of the fields covered by the group.
He also expressed Russia’s confidence in the positive contribution that Egypt will be able to make to the joint work of the BRICS countries, and that his country will work during its presidency of the bloc to facilitate the process of Egypt joining the various cooperation mechanisms and initiatives existing between its countries.
He stressed Egypt’s keenness to be a positive and effective member to support cooperation within the BRICS framework in various fields, which would contribute to comprehensive economic development efforts in Egypt, as well as the aspiration to work to support the joint action of the bloc countries to enhance the role of developing countries on the international arena.
The two sides agreed to continue consultations during the coming months to prepare for the start of Egypt’s membership in the BRICS bloc in January 2024.
