Argentina's President Javier Milei says his nation won't join BRICS economic alliance

Dec. 29 (UPI) -- Argentina's new President Javier Milei said he is pulling his country out of efforts to join an expanded economic government alliance that includes China, Russia and India.

Milei said on Friday that plans to join BRICS, which also includes Brazil and South Africa, were made by the previous administration but he was withdrawing Argentina's interest. Argentina was one of six countries invited to join BRICS, which is seen as a rival to Western economies, including the United States.

Argentina had been expected to join BRICS on Monday along with Egypt, Iran, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Milei, a populist outsider, won a surprise election victory in November with pledges to overhaul the country's hurting economy. He replaced left-wing Peronist Alberto Fernández, who had stronger views that meshed with the current BRICS members.

"As you are aware, the foreign policy imprint of the government that I have presided over for a few days differs in many cases from that of the previous government," he said in a letter sent to the current BRICS members.

The expansion was expected to be a boon for Iran, which had been hit mightily with sanctions from the United States and Western countries over its nuclear program and allegedly supporting militant groups around the Middle East.

"This membership expansion is historic," Chinese President Xi Jinping said when the expansion was first announced in August. "It shows the determination of BRICS countries for unity and cooperation for the broader developing world."