News in Brief
Over 40
countries want to join BRICS
IRNA – Following the landmark expansion that took place at the last BRICS summit, there are now over 40 countries that are seeking to join the economic alliance at the 2024 summit.
Indeed, next year’s event is set to take place in Russia, with nations already preparing to submit an application. The BRICS economic bloc made geopolitical waves when it expanded its current membership. The bloc went from its original five of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa to a roster of 11.
Russia
identifies promising amount of transit along INSTC
TREND – The International North-South Transport Corridor will eventually be able to move up to 30 million tons of freight each year, said the official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Maria Zakharova.
“In terms of transport issues, the focus is on the prospects for the development of successfully functioning international trade routes, such as the INSTC, which include the systematic construction of highways,” she said.
Iran is 23rd maritime trade power in the world: UNCTAD
TASNIM – The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) put Iran’s shipping fleet capacity at 19.3 million tons, which makes the country the 23rd maritime trade power in the world.
In its latest report on the situation of maritime transportation industry in the world, UNCTAD noted that the world’s total commercial ships including tankers, container ships and bulk-carriers exceeded 56,591 vessels by the end of 2022.