Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (ANTARA) - BRICS, the multinational organization that Indonesia recently joined as a full member, harbors no ill will toward other countries, especially the United States, according to Deputy Foreign Minister Arrmanatha Nasir.
“In reality, the Summit, which our president participated in, has no intention at all to oppose the United States or other countries,” Nasir stated at Rio's Galeao Air Force Base following President Prabowo Subianto’s departure to Brasilia for a bilateral meeting on Monday (July 7) local time.
His remarks came in response to US President Donald Trump’s threat to impose additional tariffs on BRICS countries.
Nasir emphasized that BRICS’ main focus is to strengthen cooperation among developing countries in addressing global challenges, rather than to provoke any competition against major powers.
The deputy minister stressed that no agenda item at the 17th BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro was designed to harm the interests of developing countries or any other nation.
“Instead, the topics we discussed on the agenda covered environmental and health issues. We also addressed the global situation on multilateralism during yesterday’s meeting,” he added.
Late Sunday, President Trump warned that countries aligning with BRICS' “anti-American policies” would face an additional 10 percent import tariff. "There will be no exceptions to this policy," he wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Trump's warning coincided with President Prabowo Subianto and other world leaders attending the 17th BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
On the same day, Trump began sending letters to heads of state to announce the final import tariffs the US would impose on their countries.
For Indonesia, Trump decided not to reduce the 32-percent “reciprocal tariff” he announced in April, despite exhaustive negotiations between Indonesian and US representatives, as he informed President Prabowo in his letter dated July 7.
