By Gabriel Gavin

In a statement, Aykhan Hajizade, spokesperson for the South Caucasus country’s foreign ministry, confirmed that Azerbaijan is pushing for membership in the Brics bloc of countries.

Initially founded in 2009 to foster closer ties among Russia, China, India and Brazil, the partnership now comprises nine members including Iran, Egypt, South Africa, Ethiopia and the UAE.

Russian President Vladimir Putin previously sought to brand Brics as an alliance of “the global majority” as part of Moscow’s efforts to challenge a dominant West and evade sanctions related to Russia’s war on Ukraine. The group has also been at the forefront of a push to replace the dollar as the key currency of international trade.

Membership of Brics is invitation-only, but multiple countries were given the chance to join at the start of this year.

The Azerbaijan announcement comes after Putin landed in the capital, Baku, for bilateral talks with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. On Monday Aliyev hailed the fact that “our economic and trade relations are progressing successfully” despite global challenges.

The pair enjoy a rosy relationship. They signed a “declaration on allied interaction” in February 2022, just days before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

At the same time, however, Azerbaijan has become an increasingly critical energy partner for Europe, having signed a deal in mid-2022 with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to help the continent wean itself off Russian oil and gas. The fossil fuel-rich state has since become a major trading partner for the EU, despite calls in Brussels for it to face sanctions over human rights abuses.

Azerbaijan will host this year’s COP29 United Nations climate talks, with diplomats, experts and environmental activists heading to Baku for the high-profile meeting.