While France joining BRICS may seem unusual at first, the country has traditionally supported multipolarity in its foreign policy. However, after Jacques Chirac's presidency, France shifted to a more US-oriented approach on the global stage, Chauprade said on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF).
"Joining BRICS is a return to our natural policy. So it is absolutely natural, not strange. And it is realistic, as France is not only a European country. Territorially, it is a global power. We have territories in the Pacific Ocean, in the Caribbean, in many places. We have the second-largest maritime zone [exclusive economic zone] in the world. We participate in the Indian Ocean forum [Indian Ocean Rim Association] in many regional forums, so it is logical to belong to this global South, as we say, to BRICS," Chauprade said.
Before submitting an application to join BRICS, France should change its political leadership, the analyst added.
"Whether to say yes or no [to France] is a decision for BRICS. But France is an important country on the international stage, and I believe it could completely alter the global landscape and advance the possibility of a real multipolar world," Chauprade said.
The Eastern Economic Forum took place from Tuesday to Friday and was hosted by the Far Eastern Federal University in Russia's Pacific coast city of Vladivostok. Sputnik was the general information partner of EEF 2024.