Above: Foreign Secretary of Sri Lanka, Aruni Wijewardane, during the women’s programme of the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan. Vladimir Astapkovich / Photohost agency brics-russia2024.ru
Sri Lanka’s application for BRICS membership has been rejected by the group’s existing members, but its request to join the BRICS New Development Bank (NDB) has been accepted, according to the Cabinet spokesperson.
Sri Lanka’s application for BRICS membership was submitted during the BRICS summit in Russia last month, led by Foreign Secretary Aruni Wijewardena.
While BRICS has gained significant global relevance, particularly in countering U.S. dominance in international trade and finance, the group currently has nine members. At the recent summit, it was decided not to expand membership further, despite Sri Lanka’s efforts and support from several countries.
“We applied for BRICS membership close to the October summit and had discussions with foreign ministers from several countries who supported our bid. However, when the summit decided not to entertain new members this time, our application was not accepted,” said the Cabinet spokesman, Herath, during a media briefing in Colombo.
“However, we also applied for membership in the NDB, which is part of the BRICS framework, and have been given the opportunity to proceed with that application,” Herath continued. “The Sri Lankan government will make the final decision on this matter, and we will discuss it further in the Cabinet, based on an assessment from the Finance Ministry.”
Herath also pointed out that countries like Bangladesh, which are not part of BRICS, are members of the NDB, underscoring the potential benefits for Sri Lanka in joining the bank.
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