5 days ago
Indonesia's BRICS membership marks key initiative in Prabowo's first year as president
(L to R) Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto, South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa, Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled Mohamed Zayed Al Nahyan, and Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed arrive for a meeting during the BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on July 6, 2025. -- Photo by Pablo PORCIUNCULA / AFP
JAKARTA (Bernama-ANTARA): Indonesia's Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya stated that Indonesia's move to join the BRICS economic bloc was a direct initiative from President Prabowo Subianto, aiming to highlight Indonesia's importance on the global stage.
Wijaya, who accompanied President Prabowo to the first day of the 2025 BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Sunday, remarked that Indonesia was warmly welcomed at the meeting, reported ANTARA news agency.
"Indonesia's entry into BRICS membership was a direct initiative from President Prabowo in his first year as head of state, and it was welcomed by all BRICS members," he noted in a statement on Monday.
The summit, themed "Strengthening Global South Cooperation for More Inclusive and Sustainable Governance," was President Prabowo's first BRICS summit and marked Indonesia's first year as a full member in 2025.
After being officially declared a full member in January 2025, Indonesia was immediately accepted as the 10th member of BRICS.
"This reflects the significance of Indonesia's role at the global level," Wijaya remarked.
BRICS originally consisted of five countries but has now expanded to include Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Iran, and Indonesia.
According to Wijaya, these member countries represent 50 per cent of the world's population and 35 per cent of the global gross domestic product (GDP).
The president believes that Indonesia's participation in BRICS will strengthen its position in the global arena and underscores the importance of cooperation among countries to promote world stability and prosperity.
Wijaya also noted that Indonesia's BRICS membership reflects the diplomatic policy promoted by the president.
"Indonesia's entry into BRICS embodies the principle held by the head of state that a thousand friends are too few, one enemy is too many," he noted. -- Bernama-ANTARA
