The economic bloc is working to harmonize criteria and principles for admitting new members, the Russian foreign minister said
More than a dozen countries have expressed an interest in joining the BRICS group, which incorporates some of the world’s major emerging economies, as the bloc gains more global standing, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday.
Speaking at a meeting with his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Lavrov indicated that membership of the BRICS bloc is in high demand.
“The interest in this global association is very, very high and continues to grow,” he said. He confirmed that “more than a dozen” countries are eager to join, including Algeria, Argentina, and Iran.
However, Lavrov continued, before accepting any new members, BRICS intends to reach an agreement on criteria and principles for further potential expansion.
“Given that applications are already being submitted officially, we, of course, expect that harmonization of the criteria and principles for the expansion of BRICS won’t take too long,” he said.
BRICS is an international socio-economic and political forum, which incorporates Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. It accounts for over 40% of the global population and nearly a quarter of the world’s GDP.
The Russian Foreign Minister’s comments come after Algeria applied to become a member of the group, following applications by Iran and Argentina.
Algeria’s bid came after Russian President Vladimir Putin called for stronger ties with Middle Eastern and North African countries, arguing that they are playing an “increasingly significant role” in the formation of the “multipolar system of international relations.”
The bloc is also expected to consider adding Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, Egypt and Afghanistan.
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