CAR Foreign Minister Expresses Hope for Increased Cooperation With BRICS Nations

BANGUI (Sputnik) - The Central African Republic (CAR) hopes to increase its cooperation with the BRICS countries to enlist their support for various national projects, CAR Foreign Minister Sylvie Baipo-Temon told Sputnik.

"The number of countries [in BRICS] has increased since the last summit, and we want to expand our cooperation primarily with the BRICS countries to have support in different projects to be implemented in the CAR," Baipo-Temon said.

The CAR would like to become a member of BRICS, but there is a specific set of criteria the country has yet to meet to join the bloc, she added.

"Does CAR meet these criteria? Today, no, but it will focus on becoming a country that rises from the ashes, a country that is respected, a country with potential that can be used, because the CAR is economically a very strong country," the top diplomat told Sputnik.

When asked about the possibility of attending the BRICS summit in Russia in 2024, Baipo-Temon said she could take part in the event if a relevant invitation is received.

BRICS, established in 2009, is a group uniting the world's largest developing economies, which currently includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. In August, the 15th top-level BRICS summit in Johannesburg extended invitations to Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia to join the bloc. Their full membership is scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2024.

In August, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the Russian city of Kazan was expected to host the next BRICS summit in October 2024.

The Central African Republic is taking all necessary measures to ensure that the grain Russia has sent to African countries reaches its recipients as soon as possible, Sylvie Baipo-Temon told Sputnik.

"Everything is now being done so that recipients of these donations can get access to them very quickly," Baipo-Temon said.

In terms of deliveries, the CAR is heavily dependent on road routes, including those of Cameroon, she said, adding that the nation was working with the Cameroonian authorities to resolve the issue.

The top diplomat also confirmed in her interview with Sputnik that the CAR was happy to become a part of Russia's initiative to send grain to African countries.

On December 4, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow was sending grain to six African countries in need and that some ships were already unloading at the destination points.