Morocco’s bid to join BRICS is driven by the desire to protect its economy amid the neglect of many third-world nations by Western powers, particularly the US, economic and policy analyst Amine Ayoub has said.

In an interview with RT on Thursday, Ayoub explained that Rabat is actively seeking new partners due to shifts in priorities by its former Western economic allies, which retracted investments in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Morocco is the latest country to formally apply to become a member of BRICS, which is made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.

South Africa’s ambassador-at-large to BRICS and Asia, Anil Sooklal, previously put the number of countries interested in joining the group at more than 40. The bloc is currently fielding official applications from 23 other countries across the non-Western world, including Egypt, Bangladesh, and Iran.