BUENOS AIRES, May 14 (RIA Novosti) – Argentina's accession to the BRICS group of developing countries would be a prospective step in building a multipolar world, but the country's potential falls far below that of Russia and China, an Argentinian expert in international relations told RIA Novosti.
"Some BRICS members are very interested in a less monopolar and a more multipolar world – they are India, Russia and China,” Alberto Hutschenreuter said.
“From that point of view, the possibility of Argentina joining the block can be interesting, given its complicated relations with the US," said Hutschenreuter, a geopolitics professor at Argentina's Superior School of the Air Force (ESGA).
The Indian ambassador in Buenos Aires, Amarendra Khatua, announced on Tuesday that Argentina had expressed interest in joining the BRICS, a block of rapidly developing economies including Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Khatua said three of the five members – India, Brazil and South Africa – had welcomed the idea.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said the issue would require careful consideration.
Hutschenreuter said the unity of BRICS states should not be overestimated.
"The block is composed of countries with different development paces and different potential. Brazil and South Africa are growing countries, but they are far away from Russia and China, two world powers," Hutschenreuter said.
“India is often overestimated, its socio-economic indicators are mostly made up by the information industry and technologies, but its poverty and population marginalization indicators are high,” he added.
There is a large gap between the growth potentials of Russia and China and those of India and Brazil.
"With Argentina, this gap will be even bigger," the expert said.
The BRICS countries plan to meet at a summit in Brazil’s Fortaleza in July, where Argentina's candidacy will be discussed.
