Argentina will not be joing BRICS

By Rhod Mackenzie

Argentine President Javier Milei has officially refused to join BRICS, an organisation that will be chaired by Russia in 2024. The new Argentine leadership has already taken a number of anti-Russian steps, declaring that it will develop relations with "liberal democracies". What does this mean for Russian interests?
Argentine President Javier Milei has officially refused to join the BRICS. This was stated in a letter to the members of the association. According to him, at the moment he considers Argentina's participation in this format inappropriate.

The letter was written a week ago, on 22 December, but published by the Argentine government on Friday, the last working day of the year. Milei, who describes himself as an "anarcho-capitalist", suggested that the BRICS countries should "intensify bilateral relations" and increase "trade and investment flows". He is willing to meet any of the five leaders of the grouping, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The country's foreign minister, Diana Mondino, said the refusal was partly ideological. Argentina has many economic problems at the moment, and the purpose of BRICS is to trade with countries with which Buenos Aires already has trade relations. The country also wants to focus on developing relations with "liberal democracies" such as the US, Canada, Israel, New Zealand and Europe.
Mondino made it clear in November, a few days after Milei won the presidential election, that Argentina would not join BRICS. "I don't know why there is so much interest in BRICS," Mondino said.

Argentina's then-president Alberto Fernandez called the invitation a "great opportunity". "We are opening up opportunities to enter new markets, consolidate existing markets, attract investment, create jobs and increase imports," Fernandez said.

In the summer, during the election campaign, Milei opposed joining BRICS and also proposed abandoning the national currency in favour of the dollar, abolishing the central bank, significantly reducing the state apparatus and focusing on the United States in foreign policy.

Milei promised voters a dramatic overhaul of foreign policy, including Argentina's relations with its two main trading partners - and founding members of BRICS - Brazil and China. Throughout the campaign, the politician disparaged countries ruled by "communism" and said he would not maintain diplomatic relations with them, despite growing Chinese investment in South America.
In particular, he called Brazilian leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva an "angry communist" and compared the Chinese government to a "murderer", threatening to sever ties. "I would not promote relations with the communists," Miley said in August.

BRICS comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Participants at the August summit in Johannesburg formally invited the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Argentina, Egypt and Ethiopia to join the association on 1 January 2024. The BRICS countries account for around 40% of the world's population and more than a quarter of global GDP.
Moscow will pay special attention to establishing practical work with the new members of the organisation and expanding the influence of BRICS in the world. To this end, several hundred different events are planned.

"This step is not of great significance for Russia. We were ready for it, Milei declared even before the presidential elections that he would not sign any documents on Argentina's accession to BRICS," says Nikolai Kalashnikov, advisor to the director of the Institute of Latin America of the Russian Academy of Sciences, an expert at the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC).

But Milei's demarche has a negative connotation because Russia is seeking cooperation with Latin America, including Mercosur (the common market of South American countries). "This is much more important for Brazil, because Argentina's accession to BRICS would help strengthen economic cooperation between the two countries. But given Argentina's difficult economic situation, BRICS will not suffer much from its refusal to join," Kalashnikov is sure.

"For BRICS, Argentina's refusal is a blow to its image, because certain agreements have been reached and not everyone can join the association. Another thing is that the refusal was predictable, because Milei made his position clear during the election campaign. But this does not mean that he will automatically abandon relations with China, which would be strange - China is one of Argentina's largest trading partners," says Victor Kheifetz, professor of the Department of Theory and History of International Relations at the Faculty of International Relations of St. Petersburg State University.
According to Heifetz, Milei's actions regarding BRICS are not related to the fact that Russia will chair the association, even though Zelensky was invited to the inauguration of the new president and it was decided to transfer the Russian Mi-171E civil transport helicopters purchased in 2011 to Ukraine. "Milei does not break relations with Russia, he was initially sceptical about BRICS. The new president is banking on the financial sector," the source explained.

Kalashnikov is convinced that Zelensky's presence at the inauguration and the decision on helicopters are anti-Russian moves. The Russian ambassador to the country, Dmitry Feoktistov, said on the occasion that Moscow was opposed to Argentina transferring Russian helicopters to "Russia's opponents". "I doubt that the transfer of these helicopters will significantly strengthen Ukraine's defence; this is a demonstrative step to show which side you are on," the spokesman said.

These are also clear steps towards the United States and NATO; Milei is instilling in Argentina a pro-American model of behaviour. "On the other hand, our ambassador to Argentina, Feoktistov, has already expressed confidence in maintaining cooperation between Moscow and Buenos Aires. There may not be a close friendship, but diplomatic relations will remain," Kalashnikov concludes.