"Membership in the BRICS does not promise serious dividends to the Azerbaijani people"

Azerbaijan wants to become a full member of the BRICS, the chairman of the Milli Majlis of Azerbaijan of the VI convocation, Sahiba Gafarova, said  at the plenary session of the X Parliamentary Forum of the BRICS countries in St. Petersburg on July 10. "Azerbaijan, in its foreign policy, encourages dialogue, cooperation and solidarity both in bilateral relations and in multilateral formats. In particular, this concerns cooperation with BRICS. Azerbaijan has already expressed its desire to join the BRICS," Gafarova said. According to her, the development of cooperation at the parliamentary level will help achieve this goal.

BRICS is a group of five rapidly developing countries. This group includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Until 2011, the abbreviation BRIC was used in relation to the organization. Due to South Africa's accession to the BRIC on February 18, 2011, according to the statement of the Minister of Finance of India, the group became known as BRICS.

BRICS members call themselves the fastest growing major countries. For example, Brazil is rich in agricultural products, Russia is the world's largest exporter of mineral resources, India has cheap intellectual resources, China has cheap labor, and South Africa has natural resources.

But why does Azerbaijan want to become a BRICS member?

Former diplomat Nahid Jafarov answers these and other questions from ASTANA.

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Question: What is BRICS? What is its main strategy, direction and goals?

Answer: BRICS is a group founded in 2009 by China, Russia, Brazil and India. The main goal of the group is to unite huge developing countries and create a united front against the economic and political power of the West. In 2010, another letter was added to the band's name, as South Africa joined the band. In 2023, Egypt, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Argentina and the United Arab Emirates were invited to the BRICS. Apart from Argentina and Saudi Arabia, other mentioned countries joined the group from January 2024. The members of the group set priorities and make political and economic decisions at the annual summit. Each participant leads the group for a year. After the appearance of new members, the group became known as BRICS+.

One of the main elements that give importance to the BRICS is that 45% of the world's population (3.5 billion people) lives in the countries of this structure, as well as 28% of the world economy (28.5 trillion US dollars) is concentrated. The Group also controls 44% of the world's oil reserves. Considering that the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund are one of the most effective mechanisms of influence of Western states on world politics, in 2014 the BRICS countries created a new development bank, their financial structure, to mitigate this influence. By the end of 2022, this institute has allocated $32 billion for infrastructure projects in developing countries.

One of the main reasons for the recent activation of the BRICS is the late supply of vaccines by the West to developing countries during the pandemic and the deepening gap between Russia and China on the one hand and the West on the other, growing against the background of the Russian-Ukrainian war.

According to their goal-setting, the BRICS member countries can be divided into 2 groups: China and other states. China's main goal in this group is to maintain the status of a hegemon power, making developing countries, mainly countries of the African continent, dependent on it. Russia and Iran view BRICS as an alternative to Western sanctions, and Putin's recent statements about BRICS also show that Russia is interested in the extreme activation of this group. Brazil sees BRICS as an additional source of financing, and the head of the Shanghai New Development Bank is also former Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff. Brazil has received a $1.1 billion loan for infrastructure projects from the BRICS.

The stability of the BRICS depends on two main factors: tensions in Indochina relations, and China's demands from member states. Currently, neither of these two factors is relevant. Tensions between China and India have subsided. At the same time, China does not impose serious obligations on the members of the group. It can be assumed that every 2 factors will change after the group becomes stronger.

Question: Why is Azerbaijan showing interest in BRICS? What is its purpose?

 Answer: The main reason why Azerbaijan is showing interest in BRICS is precisely the recent growing tension in relations with the West. Against the background of the Russian-Ukrainian war, forgotten democratic principles are once again beginning to gain importance in the foreign policy of Western states. Many characterize this war as a clash of democratic and authoritarian systems. Calls for sanctions against Azerbaijan, the freezing of Azerbaijan's membership in the Council of Europe, and criticism of Azerbaijan in the European Parliament are becoming systematic.  On the other hand, the collapse of the bribery network created by the authorities in the West deprives the regime of maneuverability. At the same time, Azerbaijani-Russian relations are developing even more.  Statements about Azerbaijan's foreign policy are being made even from the rostrum of the Russian Foreign Ministry. It is clear that Ilham Aliyev sees a deepening gap between the democratic and authoritarian camps and is now trying to guarantee his political power by trying to become a member of the BRICS group, for which human rights and freedoms mean nothing.

Question: What can BRICS give Azerbaijan? Or vice versa?

Answer: First, let's define what we mean by Azerbaijan. When we say "Azerbaijan", we must divide the government and the Azerbaijani people. Membership in BRICS does not promise serious dividends to the Azerbaijani people. Tomorrow, if an agreement on the free movement of human capital is signed between China and Azerbaijan, millions of cheap labor from China will pour into Azerbaijan. We observed the impact of cheap labor from China in the 2nd half of the 2000s.

But for the authorities, membership in BRICS promises big dividends.  Until yesterday, Russia was cited as the main reason for the absence of reforms in Azerbaijan. If Russia loses in this war, this reason will be eliminated.  Then China will help prevent pressure on Azerbaijan from the West.

Question: Azerbaijan is a member of the Non-Aligned Movement. Can he become a BRICS member this time?

Answer: The Non-Aligned Movement is effective mainly in relation to military organizations. The only relatively significant place of this movement is the UN meeting rooms. During the discussions in these halls, countries such as Azerbaijan use this organization as a platform, trying to gain the support of some members. We saw this when Azerbaijan was elected a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council in 2012. I don't see any other meaning to this movement. At the same time, this movement does not prevent Azerbaijan from becoming a member of any political organization and structure.

Question: What do you suggest? What other organizations could Azerbaijan use instead of BRICS?

Answer: Before becoming a member of any organization, the political authorities must represent the Azerbaijani people and their interests. The priorities of Azerbaijan's foreign policy should determine the answer to the question: do the Azerbaijani people want to live like a Russian or a Chinese, who do not have a free press in the country, where people live in fear, where they cannot openly express their opinions, or like a Norwegian and a Swede who feel happy and live in prosperity? Before our eyes, Armenia is making serious steps in this direction, and we are moving in the opposite direction.