AI needs to be integrated into Belarus' technological independence - Foreign Minister's perspective
Belarus, a current BRICS partner state since January 2025, has taken a significant step towards full membership by officially submitting a request to join the New Development Bank (NDB) in March 2025. The NDB, a key financial institution of the alliance, is a critical element of BRICS's emerging financial architecture.
Since 2024, Egypt, Iran, the UAE, and Ethiopia have joined the BRICS alliance, expanding it beyond its original five members: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. The alliance has also welcomed Colombia and Uzbekistan as new members in the NDB. Although the status of Belarus's application is not yet publicly confirmed, it is known to be under review.
The Belarusian government views the NDB as a vital opportunity to benefit from and contribute to the bloc’s financial integration efforts. Belarus has been actively cooperating with BRICS institutions and participating in various forums and summits in the capacity of a partner country. The country's role in BRICS focuses on political and security cooperation under principles of mutual respect and equitable development, as well as active involvement in the youth dimension of BRICS, which it considers a priority for national development.
Recently, Maksim Ryjenkov, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus, spoke at a BRICS meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In his speech, he emphasised the importance of strengthening cooperation, economic relations, digitization, and the development of artificial intelligence. He also proposed considering the possibility of integrating platforms of central bank digital currencies as they become legally and technically ready for integration.
Minsk, Belarus, is ready to serve as a platform for creating modern logistics hubs using advanced technologies like blockchain and the Internet of Things. The participation of Belarus in BRICS events is a recent development, starting from January 2025. The country participated in a high-level event for the first time after obtaining the status of a partner country in BRICS.
Saudi Arabia is currently an invited country in the alliance, indicating a potential future expansion of BRICS. As Belarus moves closer to full membership, it is set to play a more significant role in the alliance’s financial integration and wider political cooperation within BRICS. The path towards full integration into BRICS’s financial and political mechanisms is clear, with the New Development Bank membership being a key milestone yet to be finalized.
Artificial intelligence is a focus for Belarus in its collaboration with the BRICS alliance, as the Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Maksim Ryjenkov, highlighted the need to develop it in his speech at a BRICS meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. With the potential integration of platforms for central bank digital currencies also proposed by Belarus, technology and artificial intelligence are expected to play a significant role in the country's growing involvement in the alliance.
