THE Argentina under the new presidency of Javier Millay will not join the BRICS bloc, Argentina’s ultra-liberal president has announced, reversing a decision taken by the Latin American country’s previous center-left government.

In a letter to Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva – as well as other members of the bloc (Russia, India, China, South Africa), Millay “informs that the accession of the Republic of Argentina to BRICS as a permanent member from January 1, 2024 is not considered appropriate”, by his government.

“As you know, the foreign policy-making of the government that I have been leading for days is different in many ways from that of the previous government,” said Miley, who took office as president on December 10.

“In this sense, some decisions taken by the previous government will be reviewed. Among them, the creation of a unit (…) for the country’s active participation in the BRICS,” he adds in the letter published by the media.

At the last BRICS summit in August in Johannesburg, the bloc announced its expansion, inviting six new member states to join it from January 1: in addition to Argentina, Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

But during the election campaign, then-candidate Millay said Argentina would not join BRICS if elected, saying he refused to “encourage contracts with communists because they do not respect the basic principles of free trade, freedom and democracy ».

Foreign Minister Diana Modino had also recently confirmed that Argentina would not join the bloc.

Miley has previously used harsh language towards the Chinese regime and President Lula, calling him a “corrupt communist” among other things. However, since his election, the Argentine president has toned down his tone and laid the groundwork for peaceful diplomatic relations with Brasilia and Beijing, Argentina’s two main trading partners.

However, Argentina’s new president has always maintained that he considers the US and Israel to be his country’s natural strategic allies.