TOKYO, September 3. /TASS/. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) will declare his country’s interest in joining BRICS, the Malaysian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
"Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim will undertake a working visit to the Russian Federation on 4 and 5 September 2024 to attend the 9th Eastern Economic Forum (9th EEF) in Vladivostok. <...> The Prime Minister is also scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin. This meeting will provide an opportunity for both leaders to take stock and discuss bilateral relations, including trade and investment, higher education, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), agriculture and food security, and tourism, and explore collaboration in new areas such as aerospace and advanced technologies. They are also expected to exchange perspectives on the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the situation in the Middle East. The Prime Minister and President Putin are also expected to discuss cooperation within the context of the ASEAN-Russia Dialogue Partnership. The Prime Minister will also reiterate Malaysia’s interest to join BRICS to President Putin, who is holding the Chairmanship of BRICS for 2024," the statement reads.
On July 28, Ibrahim said that his country had sent an application for BRICS membership to Russia. According to him, this will have a considerable potential for both sides. In turn, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that as the BRICS president, Russia will help Malaysia promote its interest to the partnership with the association.
Russia assumed the one-year rotating chairmanship of the BRICS intergovernmental group on January 1, 2024. On Moscow’s watch, BRICS will carry out over 250 events covering a wide range of issues. The key event of Russia’s chairmanship will be the BRICS summit in October 2024 in Kazan, Tatarstan, in Russia’s Volga region.