ASHGABAT, June 28. /TASS/. Argentina and Iran are worthy of joining BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), the preparatory process for the bloc's expansion has been launched, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters on Tuesday following a meeting of foreign ministers of the Caspian states.

"Of course, both Argentina and Iran are worthy and respected candidates, as well as a number of other countries that are also mentioned in the discussions," the minister said, responding to a question from TASS.

According to Lavrov, the decision to join BRICS will be determined by consensus. "The most important thing is that the preparatory process has been launched," the Russian foreign minister stressed, "The main criterion here will be to ensure further effectiveness and increase the practical impact of the bloc’s work".