CARACAS, June 11. /TASS/. Venezuela want to be the second Latin American country after Brazil to join BRICS, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil Pinto said at a BRICS+ ministerial meeting in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod.

"I confirm [Venezuelan] President Nicolas Maduro’s public statements that since 2015 our country has been demonstrating interest in joining BRICS as a full-fledged member to be the second American nation in this prestigious group of states," he said. "BRICS is confidently moving forward in building and forming a polycentric and multi-polar world."

The corresponding video was posted on his X account.

Accounting for more than 35% of the global GDP and nearly half of the world’s population, BRICS "is called to be the main force in terms of the democratizing the world economy and defending sovereignty and equality of states," Gil said, adding that his country is ready to share its experience in regional integration and its vast natural resources with BRICS.

He noted Venezuela’s advantageous geographical position opening access to South and Central America, as well as the Caribbean region. He stressed that Venezuela is committed to BRICS’ principles of independence, friendship, and solidarity.

A meeting of the BRICS foreign ministers was held in Nizhny Novgorod on June 10 and 11. This was the first ministerial meeting following BRICS expansion in 2023 when Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE joined Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa as full-fledged BRICS members. About 30 more countries are interested in cooperating with the association in this or that format.

Representatives from Bangladesh, Bahrain, Belarus, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Laos, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Turkey, Venezuela, and Vietnam took part in the event on June 11.

Russia took over the BRICS’ year-long presidency on January 1, 2024. Russia’s presidency features more than 250 various events, with a BRICS summit in Kazan in October 2024 being the central one.