Johannesburg, August 24 (QNA) - Argentina, Ethiopia, Iran, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and UAE have been invited to join the club of emerging nations, strengthening its role as a geopolitical alternative to Western-led forums.

The five-nation BRICS club of emerging economies that came together to tilt the international order away from the West announced plans Thursday to expand its membership, feeding concerns about a growing global divide.

The group said that Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia had been invited to join, and that their membership would begin in January.

The BRICS group, which encompasses Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, announced the expansion at a summit in South Africa that attracted a level of global interest rarely seen in recent years.

The group represents a quarter of the worlds economy and about 40 percent of the worlds population and has increasingly sought to be a counterweight to the dominance of Western-led forums like the Group of 7 and the World Bank.

Despite a public show of unity at the tightly controlled conference, the BRICS members brought divergent views on expansion. Several leaders warned against a return to a divisive global order reminiscent of the Cold War.

India, which has been locked in a territorial dispute with China, has sought to avoid diluting its own role in the group in favor of countries closer to China. Brazil and South Africa have wanted to avoid alienating partners in Europe and North America.

(QNA)