Cuba is actively working to join BRICS, the economic alliance that includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, according to a Cuban deputy minister quoted by the Mexican newspaper La Jornada. The official said the island nation views membership as a way to strengthen trade and financial ties with the group’s economies at a time when Cuba continues to face a decades-long US trade embargo and chronic shortages of fuel, food and hard currency.
BRICS was founded in 2009 as a counterweight to Western-dominated financial institutions like the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, and has since expanded to include additional countries such as Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates. For Cuba, closer alignment with the bloc could open doors to new trade partnerships, investment and alternative payment systems that bypass the US dollar-based financial system, which has made it difficult for Havana to conduct international transactions under sanctions.
The Cuban government has long sought diplomatic and economic support from nations outside the Western sphere, maintaining close relationships with Russia and China in particular. Formal accession to BRICS would require approval from current member states, and it remains unclear when or whether Cuba’s bid might be considered.
To learn more about Cuba’s diplomatic push and its potential implications, read the full article at La Jornada.
Source: Cuba busca incorporarse a los BRICS y estrechar vínculos económicos con el grupo, afirma viceministro de la isla (jornada.com.mx). English version produced with AI assistance.
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