MOSCOW, August 25. /TASS/. Russia intends to make the expansion of the association's influence in the global arena the goal of its BRICS presidency, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told a news conference on the results of the BRICS summit in South Africa.

"Starting from January 1, our country will preside over the association. During the Russian presidency, traditional BRICS events will be held for the first time with the full participation of newly-admitted members," he said. "As Russian President [Vladimir Putin] said at the BRICS summit yesterday, we will continue the cause of expanding the influence of our group in the world, establishing practical interaction with new members of the association, and developing a dialogue on the BRICS Plus/Outreach platform."

This year the BRICS summit was held in Johannesburg on August 22-24 under the presidency of South Africa. It was the largest meeting of the heads of state and government of the Global South in recent years. The leaders of 54 African countries were among those invited. The summit’s participants agreed that Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the UAE would join the association as of January 1, 2024. A new list of possible members will be drawn up by the next summit.