Thailand is becoming BRICS partner state on January 1, 2025, the Thai Foreign Ministry said on Monday.
“On 28 December 2024, Thailand was informed by Russia, Chair of BRICS for 2024, confirming that Thailand will join BRICS as a Partner Country starting from 1 January 2025,” the ministry said in a statement.
The cooperation is expected to help enhance economic ties with BRICS member countries, mostly focusing on trade, investment, and tourism, and help to foster people-to-people ties, the ministry added.
Thailand’s partnership with BRICS also reinforces the country’s commitment to multilateralism, it said. It is also stated that Bangkok is ready to be the “bridge builder” between BRICS and other regional entities, such as ASEAN, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and Asia Cooperation Dialogue.
Along with Thailand, eight more states, namely Belarus, Bolivia, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Uganda, Malaysia and Uzbekistan will officially become BRICS partners from January 1, 2025.
BRICS is an intergovernmental association established in 2006 by Russia, China, India, and Brazil, with South Africa joining in 2011. Russia assumed the rotating presidency of the bloc on January 1, 2024. At the start of 2024, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates officially joined BRICS.
