Argentina snubs BRICS invitation

Argentina will not join the BRICS grouping of developing nations, the country’s incoming foreign minister said Thursday.

“We will not join the BRICS,” said Diana Mondino, who will serve as top diplomat in the government of President-elect Javier Milei when he is sworn into office next week.

Argentina was one of the six countries invited to become new members of the bloc, comprised of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, at its annual summit in Johannesburg in August.

The South American country’s membership would have taken effect on January 1, 2024 along with Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Upon receiving the invitation to join the bloc, Argentina’s President Alberto Fernández celebrated the invitation as a "great opportunity."

"We open up possibilities of joining new markets, of consolidating existing markets, of raising investment coming in, of creating jobs and raising imports," he said.

But President-elect Milei has promised to dramatically shake up Argentina’s foreign policy, including its relationship with its two main trading partners — and BRICS founding countries — Brazil and China.

He labeled Brazilian leader Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva an “angry communist” and harshly criticized China, comparing the government to an “assassin” and threatening to cut off ties.

“I would not promote relations with communists,” he said in August.