MOSCOW, August 25. /TASS/. The BRICS summit that wrapped up in Johannesburg on Thursday focused primarily on international security issues, including ongoing conflicts, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told a news conference in the wake of the gathering of the group’s leaders.

On Wednesday and Thursday, "participants in the event voiced congruent or similar positions on a very wide range of key issues across the political, economic and humanitarian agendas," Ryabkov told reporters. According to him, the "summit focused on the current challenges in the sphere of international security, including a number of conflicts."

Also, Ryabkov said, the summit expressed readiness "to boost BRICS’ international profile and strengthen the group’s potential as a pillar of a fairer democratic world order." "As part of BRICS Plus/Outreach, building cooperation between BRICS and countries in the Global South, mostly African states, as well as efforts to contribute to mutual growth and achieve sustainable development were discussed," the senior Russian diplomat added.

Johannesburg hosted the BRICS group’s 15th summit under South Africa’s one-year chairmanship on August 22-24. The event marked the largest gathering of Global South heads of state and government in the past few years. As many as 54 African leaders had been invited to attend. At the summit, the five current members agreed to admit Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as new members, effective January 1, 2024. An updated list of candidate countries for BRICS membership will be prepared for consideration at the group’s next annual summit, which will take place under Russia’s one-year chairmanship.