President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Egypt is interested in joining the BRICS group along with Saudi Arabia and Turkey, and the position is to be discussed at the BRICS summit, set to take place in South Africa by next year. The BRICS group is one of the most important economic summits in the world, which includes in its membership Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Sisi participated via video conference and mentioned that the cooperation related to achieving economic growth and sustainable development between the country and the BRICS, according to the presidential statement on Friday. China's President of China invited Sisi to participate in the high-level dialogue session of this year's summit, a testament to Egypt's position and its leading political, economic, and commercial potentials at the regional level, which qualifies it to strengthen its relations through the forum, the statement added. The invitation also reflects the strength of the ties based on the comprehensive strategic partnership in various fields between Egypt and China. Egypt's membership of the New Development Bank (NDB) at this time is an evidence of the resilience of the Egyptian economy and its ability to withstand shocks and overcome challenges, al-Sisi added. The president desires that the NBD's support meets the Egyptian efforts in achieving sustainable development, attracting foreign investments, and enhancing the role of the private sector. Egypt has joined the Bank's membership in December 2021, which provides financial instruments that contributes to increasing interaction between the BRICS countries and other developing countries that not included the group. Egypt is the fourth new member admitted into NDB, further expanding the bank's global outreach. In September, the bank admitted Bangladesh, United Arab Emirates, and Uruguay. Sisi has participated in the BRICS summit for the second time, as he attended the ninth summit in China in 2017 upon an invitation from President Xi Jinping.
