President Jokowi to attend BRICS Summit as invitee

Jakarta, The Gulf Observer: President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) will attend the BRICS Summit in South Africa as an invitee, the Presidential Secretariat’s Deputy for Protocol, Press, and Media Bey Machmudin informed on Wednesday.

“(The President will attend the summit) in the capacity of (the leader of) Indonesia, that is currently serving as the chair of ASEAN,” he informed via a short message received here.

BRICS, which comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, is an economic alliance for developing countries.

The bloc holds its summit from August 22–24, 2023, in Johannesburg, South Africa, which has held the BRICS presidency since January 1.

Machmudin said that Widodo’s attendance at the summit has nothing to do with Indonesia’s membership of the bloc.

There have been news reports of Indonesia’s plans to become a member of BRICS. Earlier this month, Widodo said that he would decide on the possibility of Indonesia joining the grouping.

More than 40 countries have reportedly expressed an interest in joining the BRICS, with more than 20 countries formally applying to join the grouping.

Indonesia also reportedly has the potential to join the bloc in the near future.

The 15th BRICS Summit will be attended by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Russian President Vladimir Putin will be represented by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at the meeting.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said more than 30 heads of state and government from across Africa will be attending the summit.

Besides hosting other African leaders, South Africa will also welcome leaders from several countries of the Global South.

President Widodo is making a state visit to four countries in Africa from August 21–24, marking his first-ever visit to the continent after assuming office.

Before leaving for South Africa, he visited Kenya, Tanzania, and Mozambique.