BRICS will continue to actively develop cooperation with other organizations and groupings. This was stated in 2024 by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Sergey Lavrov, during a meeting of BRICS+ Foreign Ministers. According to experts, this type of collaboration helps consolidate the forces of the Global South in building a multipolar world, fosters dialogue between partner organizations, and strengthens economic cooperation. Furthermore, this joint work encourages countries to develop common approaches to shared problems while reinforcing the role of the international structures that unite them.

However, such partnerships face challenges. These include the diversity of member countries' interests and a lack of the mutual trust necessary to implement, for example, a single currency or a shared payments system. The question is whether BRICS and its partners will succeed in balancing the defense of their national interests with the achievement of collective goals.

BRICS, SCO, and the African Union: Objectives and Synergy

BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the African Union, and other structures such as ASEAN or the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) are groupings of the Global South. They are united not only by common economic and political interests but also by so-called "cross-membership," meaning several countries are part of more than one regional group.

For example, four BRICS countries—India, Iran, China, and Russia—are also members of the SCO. South Africa, Ethiopia, and Egypt belong to both BRICS and the African Union. Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Thailand are BRICS partners and ASEAN members. Russia, along with BRICS partners like Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan, are part of the CIS.

These multiple intersections enable active dialogue between partner organizations. In an exclusive interview with TV BRICS, global policy expert Anatoly Otyrba, a professor at the Academy of Geopolitical Problems, notes that currently, BRICS, the SCO, and the African Union form interconnected contours of interaction within the global financial system.

"BRICS acts as a multilateral negotiation platform… The SCO constitutes the strategic core of Eurasian stability, relying on complementary energy, security, and infrastructure," explains Otyrba.

On one hand, this allows for establishing equal partnerships and building a truly multipolar association; on the other, it partially weakens these unions, as countries must confront economic and political challenges individually.

Within the framework of their common goal of strengthening a multipolar world, BRICS, the SCO, and the African Union also seek to develop economic cooperation under current conditions. However, more often, this cooperation is built not so much at the level of heterogeneous structures, but through direct interaction between member countries.

Economic Cooperation of BRICS and the SCO

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) was established in 2001, with the initial goal of ensuring peace, security, and stability in the region. Over time, the SCO has expanded its cooperation into areas such as transport and logistics infrastructure development, the banking sector, and the economy in general. In this context, experts highlight the recent creation of the SCO Development Bank, announced in early September 2025 during the summit in Tianjin, China.

Some international media described this event as one of the most important geoeconomic developments of the decade. This is because the SCO Development Bank will not only finance infrastructure projects in Asia but also seeks to establish an alternative payments system, similar to the one expected to be developed within BRICS. In essence, the initiative reflects the aspiration of developing countries to achieve financial sovereignty, albeit so far only at a regional level.

 

According to expert estimates, moving even 30-40% of mutual trade to this platform would equate to $700-800 billion US dollars, allowing participating countries to save billions in banking fees. If the plan is successfully implemented, the world would witness the birth of a truly multipolar financial system, whose principles could later be applied to BRICS countries or even the entire Global South.

Regarding direct economic cooperation between BRICS and the SCO, they currently lack joint institutions such as banks, funds, or trade agreements.

"The exchange is limited to dialogue. Infrastructure corridors, the digital economy, and the coordination of positions in international organizations are discussed in forums and working groups. Real economic projects are implemented primarily through bilateral relations between member countries, and not through BRICS-SCO institutional cooperation," explains Anatoly Otyrba.

BRICS and the African Union

The African Union (AU) is one of the oldest groupings on the continent, successor to the Organization of African Unity (OAU), founded in 1963. For a long time, Africa was seen more as an object of international relations. Both the OAU and its successor, the AU, managed to transform the structure into an effective international organization capable of developing a unified pan-African agenda, allowing African countries to act as a common front in international bodies.

The ties between BRICS and the AU are found in countries like Egypt, Ethiopia, and South Africa. Other African countries, such as Uganda and Nigeria, are partners in the group of "ten." This reflects the continent's growing presence in BRICS. Since South Africa joined BRICS in 2011, it has progressively integrated continental interests into the platform, strengthening Africa's voice on the international stage.

Given that the BRICS format envisages country participation not only in annual summits but also in over 60 internal institutions, business circles, and expert centers, the AU and BRICS have the opportunity to dialogue in all key areas. Furthermore, there are over 200 annual events available for cooperation.

This type of collaboration is mutually beneficial and promising. "The partnership of BRICS with the African Union is strategically significant," affirms Anatoly Otyrba. "It expands BRICS' economic influence on a rapidly developing continent, facilitates access to natural resources and new markets, and reinforces the position of the Global South in reforming the world financial system."

In the future, this could translate into joint infrastructure projects.

"The convergence points of national interests lie in the development of logistics and transport infrastructure projects, the creation of enterprises for exploiting deposits in AU countries, and the production of goods with high added value," explains Valery Abramov in an exclusive interview with TV BRICS.

Experts also note that AU countries exhibit high economic growth rates, possess significant human resources due to population growth, and, above all, constitute expanding markets that are attractive to many countries today.

Likelihood of the African Union Joining BRICS

Experts even consider the scenario of the African Union (AU) joining BRICS, despite the notable differences between the two structures. While BRICS functions as a cooperation platform, the AU is a formal international organization representing the interests of countries from a single continent. Recently, the African Union became a full member of the G20, and expanded participation in BRICS could strengthen its weight within the group's activities.

A second scenario is the individual accession of African countries. In that case, the AU could become a space within BRICS for channeling the interests of small and medium-sized states. According to analysts, following Nigeria's accession to BRICS as a partner country, the likelihood of this second scenario materializing has increased significantly.

The New Development Bank and the African Union
Thanks to cooperation with BRICS, in 2025, South Africa received a loan of 7 billion rand (approximately $419 million) from the New Development Bank. These funds will be used to modernize four key national highways, strengthen connectivity between the country's regions, and increase its economic resilience. A year earlier, the BRICS Bank had approved another credit for South Africa worth $1 billion for water supply projects, granted under a municipal infrastructure support program.

In May 2025, the New Development Bank officially accepted Algeria as a member country, which, according to NDB President Dilma Rousseff, plays an important role not only in the economy of North Africa but also on a global scale. Ethiopia also aspires to join the BRICS Bank, something the authorities of this member country have pointed out on repeated occasions. Experts interpret the intense cooperation of BRICS with African Union countries through the NDB as a signal of trust and a possible strengthening and deepening of ties in the future.

EAEU, CIS, and ASEAN

The EAEU, CIS, and ASEAN do not have a fully developed integration system among themselves; however, these three organizations share a common interest in coordinating with BRICS, notes Professor Anatoly Otyrba in an interview with TV BRICS. Thus, the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) actively works on developing joint initiatives with BRICS in areas such as industry, transport corridor development, financial payments in national currencies, the creation of digital services, and technology transfer. In this way, the EAEU organically integrates into the multipolar economic system being configured based on BRICS. Interaction between EAEU countries and BRICS shows annual growth in trade and transport volumes, which will continue to increase as multimodal corridors in Eurasia and the "North-South" corridor develop.

CIS representatives participate in BRICS summit events. According to experts, both structures share similar values and visions of the world order. Furthermore, Russia is a key actor in both BRICS and the CIS, which facilitates the establishment of stronger horizontal links.

Regarding ASEAN, in China, for example, it is considered that BRICS can play a key role in supporting the association countries. The group can become a bridge for technology transfer and attracting investments. Joint scientific centers could reduce geological exploration costs, contribute to agricultural development, and reinforce climate resilience. Thus, Chinese companies could invest in modernizing transportation and electric vehicle infrastructure in Indonesia; Brazil could share its experience in bioenergy; and the BRICS New Development Bank could provide financing for geothermal, wind farm, and smart grid projects in Southeast Asian countries.

The Contours of a Multipolar Network of Alliances

Experts observe the future development of BRICS relations with other alliances and the formation of a Global South partnership network with moderate optimism. This is because all these structures (the SCO, AU, EAEU, CIS, and ASEAN) share an interest in building a more representative and just international order, as well as expanding trade and economic cooperation.

The advancement of these relations is hindered by the diversity of participants' interests and the absence of common standards. Furthermore, different organizations have different decision-making formats.

According to analysts, the success of cooperation will depend on the parties' ability to develop flexible collaboration formats, minimize bureaucratic barriers, and focus on quick-return projects, such as creating joint digital platforms for trade and developing national currency-based payment systems.

Analysts also foresee the emergence of joint pilot projects between Global South associations in the energy sector, as well as the signing of memoranda of understanding and cooperation. (CubaSí)