Argentina, led by new ultra-liberal President Javier Millais, will no longer join the bloc of developing nations gathered in the BRICS group (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa), thus abandoning the approach initiated by the former center-left government, it has been confirmed on Friday by the president of Buenos Aires, France Presse and Agerpres report.

In a letter addressed to the BRICS states, President Javier Millay mentions that “the inclusion of the Argentine Republic in BRICS as a full member from January 1, 2024 is not considered appropriate” by the new Argentine government.

“As you know, the foreign policy orientation of the government that I will lead for a few days differs in many ways from the orientation of the previous government” of former President Alberto Fernandez, explains Javier Miley in a letter, who promised to focus his attention. policies of the foreign approach to the United States.

“In this sense, several decisions made by the previous administration will be reviewed. Among them is the creation of a unit (…) for the country’s active participation in BRICS,” the president added in a letter published by several media outlets.

Miley declared that he did not want to “encourage agreements with the communists”

At the last BRICS summit held in August in South Africa, the bloc announced the expansion of new members and formally invited six countries to join, namely Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia and Iran.

Javier Millay said during the election campaign that under his leadership, Argentina would not be part of the BRICS group, citing the fact that he did not want to “encourage agreements with the communists, because they do not respect the foundations of free trade, freedom and democracy.” . “It’s about geopolitics,” he admitted, lashing out at the Chinese regime and Brazilian President Lula da Silva, whom he called “corrupt communists.”

However, before the second round of voting, and then even more so after winning the election, Miley noticeably lowered his tone, realizing that once he became president, he did not need diplomatic tension with neighboring Brazil and China, which are Russia’s first commercial partners. Argentina.

Domestically, the new president, who describes himself as an “anarcho-capitalist” and a “libertarian,” has promised shock therapy reforms in his country, which is in perpetual economic crisis. He is already facing demonstrations, which he is trying to stop with measures such as revisions to the Criminal Code or fines applied to protest organizers, and the country’s largest trade union confederation this week called a general strike.

A pity in Moscow: “A lost opportunity for Argentina”

On Friday, Russia expressed its regret over the refusal of the new president of Argentina to join BRICS, but considers this decision a sovereign right of Argentina.

“Each state has the right to choose its own path of development. No one is forcing anyone to join the BRICS,” said Leonid Slutsky, chairman of the International Relations Commission of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, reports the EFE agency.

He believes that the refusal to join BRICS is a “lost opportunity” for Argentina, but he appreciates that “only Argentine voters” can evaluate the decisions of the president they elected.

According to the same Russian official, there are more than 20 countries that want to join BRICS, a bloc that he also said, unlike others, treats all member states on equal terms.

This month, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned his new Argentine counterpart that Miley’s promised dollarization of the economy would mean a “significant loss of sovereignty” for Argentina. However, the Kremlin assured that Russia is interested in developing relations with Argentina and will refer to “common interests” in interaction with the new Mill government.