People walk near the venue of the 15th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, Aug 21, 2023. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

The inclusion of Middle Eastern countries into the expanded BRICS bloc of developing nations has been hailed as “most significant” by experts, who see it as bringing the national shared interests closer together in a region long constrained by conflicts.

They also said that with the long-term interests of Iran and Saudi Arabia expected to intertwine, BRICS could help secure stability in the region, create a balance in the world energy markets, and improve regional and food security.

Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates were invited to become new BRICS members – joining original members Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

The expansion was announced at a special news conference during the 15th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Aug 24. Their membership will take effect from Jan 1 next year.

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Furkan Halit Yolcu, a researcher at Sakarya University Middle East Institute in Turkiye, told China Daily that what happened at the BRICS summit was “no surprise”.

The most significant part in my opinion that four of the six countries invited as full members are from the Middle East. With the new memberships on Jan 1, 2024, BRICS members will control a significant amount of energy supply as well. This might create an alternative to OPEC for creating global energy policies and draw support.

Furkan Halit Yolcu,  researcher at Sakarya University Middle East Institute

“The most significant part in my opinion that four of the six countries invited as full members are from the Middle East. With the new memberships on Jan 1, 2024, BRICS members will control a significant amount of energy supply as well. This might create an alternative to OPEC for creating global energy policies and draw support,” said Yolcu.

He said that BRICS membership also boosts the prestige of Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.

“They were struggling under the current US foreign policy to be perceived as respected international powers,” he added.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has hailed the expansion of BRICS as “historic” as it “meets the expectations of the international community” and serves the common interests of emerging markets and developing nations.

The expansion marks a new starting point for BRICS cooperation, Xi told the media in Johannesburg on Aug 24, adding that it will inject new vitality into the mechanism of BRICS cooperation and further strengthen the forces of global peace and development.

Upon his return to Teheran, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi hailed the BRICS members' decision to broaden the group as a commendable step that will facilitate worldwide development while upholding principles of justice.

Highlighting the urgency of tackling pressing issues like famine, climate change, and dwindling energy resources, Raisi underscored the necessity for collaborative initiatives and unity to establish a just system based on shared interests.

The ministries of foreign affairs of Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates separately issued statements on being invited to join BRICS.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the country’s “great success in joining BRICS” will not only strengthen multilateralism but “can pave the way for pursuing the objectives of this administration”, and expand other grand strategies to implement Iran’s dynamic diplomacy.

Seyed Mostafa Khoshcheshm, former professor at the Iranian Foreign Ministry's Faculty of International Relations, told China Daily that Iran’s accession to the BRICS group of nations was a “setback for the United States” in its attempts to stifle the country.

“Now, Iran is taking very wide jumps after joining the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and now the BRICS group of countries, showing that the US push for isolating Iran has failed,” said Khoshcheshm.

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On a larger scale, he said, this shows that “the world is changing now” as has been acknowledged by intellectuals, politicians, and officials from the West for the last two or three years. Global power, he said was “on a transition from the West to the East”.

“On a different dimension, this will also have very positive outcomes for the West Asian states, for the Persian Gulf states. Iran and Saudi Arabia started a rapprochement with the help of the Chinese,” noted Khoshcheshm.

In addition to the China-led rapprochement and the enhancement of bilateral ties, Khoshcheshm said relations between the two Middle Eastern powers will be more intimate under the BRICS grouping.

He said that this is important as it will enhance bilateral and multilateral ties, as well as cooperation, which will improve stability.

“When shared interests are intertwined and intermingled with each other then there will be more stability and more security in the Persian Gulf region and for West Asia because the two can find more grounds for economic cooperation than hostility and rivalry,” Khoshcheshm said.

Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan said at the summit that the Kingdom “is the largest BRICS trading partner in the Middle East”, with its total bilateral trade with the countries of the group exceeding $160 billion in 2022.

Bin Farhan expressed appreciation for the invitation extended by the BRICS group and said Riyadh would be studying it, adding that Saudi foreign policy focuses on building economic partnerships, according to a report by the Saudi Gazette newspaper.

The UAE Foreign Ministry noted that the country has been “a long-term partner of the BRICS group”.

UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan expressed his appreciation to the five founding countries of BRICS and said the invitation forms part of the UAE's commitment to promoting constructive dialogue through active platforms that represent developing and emerging economies.

UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation Reem Al Hashimy said the UAE recognizes BRICS “as a mechanism to promote global peace, stability, and prosperity”.

Mehmood Ul Hassan Khan, executive director of the Center for South Asia and International Studies in Islamabad, told China Daily that the policymakers at the BRICS Summit have achieved one of their biggest goals by inviting the six developing nations, and signaling a “drastic change in global geopolitics and geo-economics”

Mehmood Ul Hassan Khan, executive director of the Center for South Asia and International Studies in Islamabad, told China Daily that the policymakers at the BRICS Summit have achieved one of their biggest goals by inviting the six developing nations, and signaling a “drastic change in global geopolitics and geo-economics”.

“It predicts that the inclusion of Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Egypt would further create balance in the world energy markets,” Khan said, adding that expansion will also improve regional and food security.

Khan noted the UAE’s rising importance. It has become the biggest country for the re-export of numerous goods and essential food items, a connecting hub for investments and innovation, and a bridge between the Gulf and Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa.

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The UAE’s BRICS membership adds value to its further acceptance and expansion in the region.

Xu Weiwei in Hong Kong contributed to this story.

Contact the writer at jan@chinadailyapac.com