Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi affirmed that the decision on Indonesia joining the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) economic bloc would be taken in the next government term under President-elect Prabowo Subianto.
“The decision will be in the next government, but we would continue to provide inputs related to BRICS to the President-elect,” Marsudi stated in a working meeting with the House of Representatives at the parliament complex here on Thursday.
Marsudi said she had spoken to Prabowo about BRICS shortly after being announced as the winner of the 2024 Presidential Election.
“Not long after the President-elect was determined, I had the opportunity to talk with Mr. Prabowo, and I briefed him about BRICS,” she remarked.
Indonesia earlier received an invitation to join BRICS during the 15th BRICS Summit held in Johannesburg, South Africa, on August 22-24, 2023, Marsudi stated.
She explained that Indonesia’s visibility to become a member of BRICS depends on the economic benefits that can be derived from joining the alliance.
“Because BRICS is an organisation for economic purposes. Therefore, we will try to see from the economic side first whether the benefits are there so we can decide (on whether) to join BRICS,” the foreign minister explained.
Earlier, on July 19, the Foreign Affairs Ministry’s Director General of ASEAN Cooperation, Sidharto R. Suryodipuro, stated that Indonesia is still studying whether to join the BRICS.
“Indonesia is still studying the BRICS membership. It is not true that Indonesia rejects the offer to join, but it is still reviewing it,” he noted in a press conference ahead of the 57th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM).