TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo plans to attend the upcoming BRICS Summit in South Africa on August 22-24, 2023. BRICS is a grouping of the developing countries economies of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.

Jokowi's participation in the summit is said to be part of Indonesia's effort to be a BRICS member. However, when asked to confirm, Jokowi refused to entertain the question. "It will be decided later (whether to be a member of BRICS)," said Jokowi in the GBK area, Senayan, on Monday, August 7, 2023.

Additionally, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi has confirmed the President's attendance at the summit, albeit refraining from revealing the detail of Jokowi's departure date.

According to Minister Retno, a working visit of a State Leader is not an easy process. "We usually publicly confirm attendance several days before the visit, we are still coordinating (with organizers) for now," she said.

The total of BRICS' economies consisted of more than 40% of the global population and around 26% of the global domestic product.

As quoted by Reuters, more than 40 countries have expressed interest to join BRICS as members, including Saudi Arabia and Iran.

ADE RIDWAN YANDWIPUTRA

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