Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa will attend next week’s BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Nikorndej Parangkoon, the ministry’s spokesperson, stated that the summit will be held on October 24, and Maris will participate on behalf of Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra.
PM Paetongtarn initially planned to attend the Kazan summit with hopes that Thailand would become a full member of BRICS. However, according to diplomatic sources, the host is expected to announce a moratorium on new memberships during the summit.
Last year at the Johannesburg summit in South Africa, BRICS invited six countries to join the group comprising of Argentina, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates.
However, Argentina, under its new leader President Javier Milei, declined the invitation.
Thailand and Malaysia have officially applied for full BRICS membership. The group was found in 2009 by Brazil, Russia, India, and China. South Africa joined a year later.
After submitting its application to BRICS in June under the previous Srettha Thavisin government, Thailand was confident of gaining full membership at the Kazan summit. Upon succeeding Srettha in August,
Paetongtarn planned to attend the summit herself. In late June, she traveled to Vladivostok for a BRICS-related summit among political party leaders.
Thailand seeks to contribute to ongoing efforts to shape a multipolar world by amplifying the voices of the Global South. The country also aims to strengthen cooperation with BRICS members, potential markets for Thai exports.
Sources have revealed that Thailand was recently informed that BRICS has yet to agree on the terms of its expansion. The BRICS members are still in discussions and want to consolidate their first wave of new members.
International security and economic issues will dominate the agenda at the Kazan summit, sources added. Additionally, BRICS members will discuss the climate crisis and a unified payment system.
