MOSCOW, August 25. /TASS/. Russia has no doubt that the new member countries of BRICS will make a major contribution to the group’s development, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said at a news conference in the wake of the BRICS summit that concluded in South Africa on Thursday.

"We have no doubt that the new members will make a very important and largely unique contribution to the development of our group," he said.

According to the senior Russian official, each new member country "has a rich history, culture, and large economic potential, playing an important role both in its own region and in the international arena as a whole."

"What is important is that all of them not only support, but also share BRICS’ fundamental values, including the spirit of solidarity, equality, mutual respect, openness, inclusiveness and mutually advantageous cooperation," Ryabkov maintained as he insisted that the grouping makes decisions exclusively on the basis of consensus.

Johannesburg hosted the BRICS group’s 15th summit of the BRICS group currently encompassing Brazil, Russia, India, 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.