Morocco has not officially requested to join the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) grouping and will not be present at its upcoming summit in South Africa, according to a statement by the state news agency MAP. This contradicts an earlier statement by South Africa’s foreign minister Anil Sooklal, who claimed that Morocco was among the countries seeking to join the bloc.

Citing an unnamed diplomatic source, MAP criticized South Africa for discussing Morocco’s ties with BRICS without prior consultation. The expansion of the BRICS group will be discussed at the summit, with more than 40 countries expressing interest in joining.

The strained relations between South Africa and Morocco are attributed to South Africa’s support for the Algeria-backed Polisario front, which seeks to establish an independent state in Western Sahara, a territory that Morocco considers its own.

MAP’s statement also emphasized that Morocco, despite not being a member of BRICS, maintains positive relations with the other member states. The country is committed to non-divisive multilateralism.

By Patience A.