NEW DELHI: Looking to emerge as a counterweight to the West, BRICS announced Thursday that 6 countries - Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and UAE - will join on January 1, 2024, the group of nations that together account for 26 percent of global GDP.

While many of these countries have close ties with China, which wanted expansion to be accelerated, all of them except Ethiopia are also India’s strategic partners.03:04Open to expanding BRICS membership, but with consensus and after finalising criteria: PM Narendra ModiWelcoming the development, PM Narendra Modi said that the expansion will consolidate the trust that many countries have in a multipolar world order and also send out a message – important in the context of the delayed UNSC reforms - that all international institutions must adapt to the changing times and circumstances.

Modi also expressed satisfaction that BRICS had built a consensus on the criteria, standards, procedures and guiding principles for expansion.India had earlier strongly denied it was blocking the proposal to expand membership saying it only wanted the rules finalised first for admitting new members.

According to government sources, India had played the lead role in forging a consensus on the issue at the Johannesburg BRICS summit that ended Thursday.In the joint press conference, where the leaders announced the decision after intense negotiations over 2 days, Modi said India had always and unequivocally supported the expansion of BRICS.

South Africa was the last country to join what was then known as BRIC in 2010.

``We believe BRICS will become stronger with new members joining it and our shared efforts will also get a boost.

This is an initiative that can set an example for the reforms of global institutions which were created in the 20th century, said Modi, as he spoke about how India enjoyed deep and historical ties with each of the 6 nations who will join the group.

India’s historical links with Iran are well known but it has also worked in the recent past to cultivate ties with both UAE and Saudi Arabia, with which it has had a strategic partnership since 2010.

Bilateral ties with UAE were upgraded to a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2017.

India has also had a strategic partnership with Argentina since 2019 and with Egypt since Modi’s visit to Cairo in July.``I’m confident together with these countries we will provide a new momentum and new energy to our cooperation.

With support from BRICS, we will also add new dimensions to our bilateral cooperation with these countries,’’ he added.While the 6 countries whose names were announced will joint as permanent members, more are expected to join later as partner countries.

The PM said India will also help build a consensus for allowing membership as a partner country.

Twenty-three countries had formally sought membership ahead of the Johannesburg summit.Wary of China and Russia’s anti-West, particularly anti-US agenda, both India and Brazil didn’t want the expansion process to be rushed through.

South Africa, however, announced Wednesday that it finally had a document after the leaders’ negotiations on the criteria and guiding principles for membership.

Describing the development as historic, Chinese President Xi Jinping in a swipe at the West said that hegemonism was not in China’s DNA.