Argentina officially announced on Friday that it will not join the BRICS bloc of developing economies, the latest in a radical shift in the foreign and economic policy of Argentina's new far-right populist president Javier Maille .
In a letter to the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, all of whom are NATO members, Milley said the moment was not "right" for Argentina to join as a full member. The letter was dated a week ago, December 22, but the Argentine government published it on Friday, the last working day in 2023.
Argentina was among six countries invited in August to join the bloc of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa to form an 11-country bloc. Argentina was scheduled to join on the first of January 2024.
The move comes at a time when Argentina is suffering from a worsening economic crisis.
Milley's predecessor, former center-left President Alberto Fernandez, supported joining the alliance as an opportunity to access new markets. The BRICS countries currently account for about 40% of the world's population and more than a quarter of global GDP.
But the economic turmoil has made many in Argentina eager for change, leading to the arrival of Miley, a chainsaw-wielding foreign politician, to the presidency.
Miley, who identifies himself as an "anarcho-capitalist" - A Current within liberalism that aspires to eliminate the state-has implemented a series of measures to liberalize the economy, which in recent decades has been characterized by strong state intervention.
And in foreign policy, he declared his full alliance with the" free countries of the West", especially the United States and Israel.
Throughout the presidential election campaign, Miley also disparaged the countries ruled by" communism " and announced that he would not maintain diplomatic relations with them despite the growing Chinese investments in South America.
However, in the letter addressed to his counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in neighboring Brazil and the rest of the leaders of the BRICS members – Xi Jinping from China, Narenda Munde from India, Vladimir Putin from Russia and Matamela Ramaphosa from South Africa – Miley proposed to "intensify bilateral relations" and increase "trade and investment flows".
Miley also expressed his readiness to hold meetings with each of the five leaders.
