Venezuelan socialist dictator Nicolas Maduro arrived in Kazan, Russia, on Tuesday to participate in the 16th annual summit of the BRICS anti-American bloc.
Maduro's landing comes amid reports from Brazilian news agencies that Venezuela is unlikely to receive an invitation to join the group as requested by Brazil.
According to Speaking to CNN Brazil, BRICS members on Wednesday approved a list of 13 countries that will join the bloc as “partner countries” rather than full members. The list reportedly includes Turkey, Indonesia, Algeria, Belarus, Cuba, Bolivia, Malaysia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Thailand, Vietnam, Nigeria and Uganda, with Venezuela being removed from the list of potential members. There is.
“We are here to share the Venezuelan experience, our historical struggles, our dreams and hopes for a world free of colonialism, hegemony and imperialism, a world that emerging superpowers can share with countries aspiring to Venezuela. “I am attending the 2019 BRICS Summit. Making the Global South independent, developed and prosperous,” Maduro said in a message posted on his blog. telegram Accounts — Socialist regime's new go-to platform after Maduro launches Twitter prohibited in Venezuela in August.
“BRICS is the center of a new multipolar world, a new geopolitics, a peace diplomacy, and above all a hope for the countries of the South who aspire to development and raise the flag of equality and freedom,” he continued. .
When the socialist dictator arrived in Kezang, declared “We are ready to be part of the new BRICS world,” he said, adding that Venezuela would contribute to “the emerging polycentric and multipolar world.”
According to President Maduro, a supposedly polycentric world “has the potential to access an economy that is not controlled by sanctions, threats or hegemony. But its basis is cooperation and true free trade.”
Over the past decade, Maduro has made several unsuccessful attempts to persuade BRICS to grant Venezuela membership. oil, farmlandand other natural resources to the bloc during its 2023 meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa.
In remarks to reporters from Russia's state news agency TASS, President Maduro once again tapped into Venezuela's oil resources, insisting that in addition to Russia's reserves, BRICS needs Venezuela's oil resources. reported.
“We have always thought about how our country can integrate into the major economic project of development and cooperation with the OPEC countries and the countries with the world's largest oil reserves,” Maduro told reporters. he said.
President Maduro met with President Vladimir Putin, the Russian strongman and host of the BRICS summit, on Wednesday morning. According to Tass and the two discussed “bilateral issues and cooperation within the BRICS framework.” President Maduro was originally scheduled to meet with President Putin in Russia in December 2023, but the meeting was repeatedly postponed throughout 2024.
President Maduro: “Russia and Venezuela have forged unbreakable bonds, political ties, moral bonds, and bonds that have been tested over time.'' said After the encounter.
Venezolana de Television (VTV), the socialist regime's main propaganda channel, said Maduro expressed his admiration for Putin “for the fight that Russia is giving against Nazism and fascism.” Reported. This is clearly a reference to President Putin's ongoing invasion of Ukraine. “He was able to lead the Russian people in all aspects.”
President Maduro also asserted that Venezuela is “on the path of the BRICS,” stressing that Venezuela follows the geopolitical bloc's guidelines “based on conviction.”
Maduro arrived in Russia as an agent for several Brazilians. reported On Wednesday, it was announced that Venezuela had been removed from the list of BRICS candidate countries, at the request of far-left founding member Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the country's president. will be displayed He is at odds with Maduro after the dictator claimed he had “won” the highly fraudulent July 28 presidential election.
“Russians know that Mr. Lula is irritated with Mr. Maduro,” Brazilian broadcaster G1 reported, citing information said to have been obtained by TV Globo.
This follows comments made in May 2023 in which Lula allegedly opposed Venezuela's membership in BRICS. publicly He expressed support for Venezuela's membership in the bloc.
CNN Brazil reported Brazil insisted on Tuesday that a ban on new members would require an agreement among BRICS members, according to anonymous Brazilian diplomats involved in the BRICS summit negotiations. According to CNN Brazil, the agreement rules were used “behind the scenes” as a justification to block Venezuela from joining the EU.
“I don't think there is a veto against Venezuela in a formal sense, but decisions are usually taken by consensus,” Celso Amorim, President Lula's top foreign policy adviser, told CNN Brasil.
President Maduro also held several meetings with some key allies, including one with the Turkish president, prior to his meeting with President Putin. Recep Tayyip ErdoğanPresident of Belarus Alexander LukashenkoSecretary of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas.
Christian K. Caruso is a Venezuelan writer who chronicles life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here.
