MOSCOW, August 25. /TASS/. The six countries who received an invitation to join BRICS have confirmed their willingness to do so, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said at a post-summit news conference.

"All the countries who have been invited to join BRICS confirmed their willingness to accept the invitation in a positive manner and, I’d say, with an air of gratitude and appreciation," he said.

"Certainly, we will not wait for January 1 to discuss how the invitees will be involved," Ryabkov added.

Johannesburg hosted the BRICS group’s 15th summit under South Africa’s one-year chairmanship on August 22-24. The event was the largest gathering of Global South heads of state and government in recent years. As many as 54 African leaders were 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.