MOSCOW, July 18. /TASS/. Moscow is expecting that the criteria for admitting new member states of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) group will be agreed upon in the near future, Alexander Shchetinin, director of the Russian Foreign Ministry's Latin American department, said.
"The discussion (on accession criteria for new BRICS members - TASS) is underway; there are a number of proposals. We are expecting the relevant joint agreements to be reached," he said, replying to a question by TASS. "We hope that this will occur as soon as possible," the diplomat said, replying to a follow-up question as to whether such agreements may be reached at the BRICS summit in South Africa in August. "Preparations for the summit are in full swing," he added, noting that all five countries in the alliance must agree on the criteria in order for them to be approved.
"Absolutely, we are seeing a great interest in BRICS among countries with a constructive attitude," the Russian diplomat noted. "It is very important that cooperation will develop with all those [countries] supporting a sensible, constructive approach in the contemporary international situation, [meaning] those that have not joined in the sanctions regime," he concluded.