Agegnehu Teshager highlighted Addis Ababa’s pivotal role as BRICS’ gateway to the continent
Many African countries are eager to join BRICS, Agegnehu Teshager, the speaker of Ethiopia’s Upper House of Parliament, has told RT in an exclusive interview.
Speaking on the sidelines of the BRICS Parliamentary Forum in St. Petersburg, Teshager claimed that “most of the African countries have an appetite to be a member of BRICS.”
He highlighted Ethiopia’s pivotal position as the gateway to Africa for BRICS, emphasizing the potential of the continent.
“Ethiopia’s economy is developing rapidly. We have a huge opportunity to enhance our economy,” Teshager stated. “Ethiopia is the entrance of BRICS to Africa. Africa has very great potential for BRICS.”
Addressing global issues, the Ethiopian politician criticized the current international framework, calling it “very unfair.” He pointed to the structure of the UN and other international organizations as areas needing reform.
“The world is very, very unfair now, as you know, the UN structure, UN security structure. There are many international organizations, so [BRICS] is an alternative platform for the member countries,” he explained.
During the forum, Russian President Vladimir Putin noted that global interest in inter-parliamentary cooperation among BRICS members is increasing, with the organization’s principles attracting more participants at international events.
“I would like to note that 400 delegates from 18 countries of the world are taking part in [the BRICS Parliamentary Forum], and this certainly indicates that both BRICS as a whole and the parliamentary dimension of BRICS cooperation enjoy great interest and increasing confidence from the international community,” Putin said.
The tenth BRICS Parliamentary Forum is being held on July 11-12 in St. Petersburg. BRICS was founded in 2006 by Brazil, Russia, India, and China, with South Africa joining in 2011. It expanded this year when Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates became full members. Russia currently holds the chairmanship of BRICS.
