More than 40 countries have expressed interested in joining the BRICS group of nations, South Africa’s top diplomat in charge of relations with the bloc said on Thursday. South Africa had faced a dilemma in hosting the summit. South Africa maintains it has a neutral stance on the Ukraine war, which it wants to end through negotiation. Diplomats addressing the press on Thursday said that position had been vindicated by South Africa’s acceptance by both sides as a mediator in the conflict, in contrast to sabre-rattling by Western powers. No,” Zaheer Laher, South Africa’s acting director general for global governance said.

Source: Bueno Aires Herald July 21, 2023 00:06 UTC