Kazakhstan's president has "carefully considered" proposals to join BRICS but Astana will not seek to join the group "in the foreseeable future," a government spokesperson told Tengrinews.kz in an interview published on Oct. 16.
BRICS, composed of Russia, China, India, Brazil, and other nations, is a group of emerging economies often portrayed as a counterweight to the Western-led world.
"The president (Kassym-Jomart Tokayev) has received proposals on Kazakhstan's accession to BRICS. After all, our country is recognized as a responsible and authoritative member of the international community," presidential spokesperson and advisor Berik Uali said.
"However, at present and most likely in the foreseeable future, Kazakhstan will refrain from submitting an application to BRICS," the spokesperson said, citing the "multi-stage application process" and unspecified "development prospects" of the group as the reason.
Four new members – Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates – joined the international organization at the start of 2024. This marked the group's first expansion since December 2010, when South Africa became a member.
Tokayev nevertheless plans to visit an upcoming BRICS forum on Oct. 23-24 in Russia's Kazan at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Kazakhstan has been walking a tightrope between Russia and the West since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022.
While refusing to support Russian aggression and stressing its role as an independent actor, the Central Asian country has become one of the key pathways for sanctioned goods flowing to Russia.
Speaking alongside German Chancellor Olaf Scholz last month in Astana, Tokayev voiced the belief that "Russia cannot be defeated in the military sense."
"A further escalation of war will lead to irreparable consequences for the whole of humanity and above all for the countries involved in the Russia-Ukraine conflict," Tokayev added.
Martin Fornusek
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