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Several African countries interested in joining BRICS — Russian Foreign Ministry

"A number of African countries have expressed interest in joining the 'five'. We're not saying which ones yet because this is a long process," Oleg Ozerov said

MOSCOW, October 16. /TASS/. A number of African countries have expressed interest in joining BRICS, Russian Ambassador-at-Large and Head of the Secretariat of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum Oleg Ozerov said on Monday.

"Now, within the framework of the new BRICS dynamics, many African partners are showing great interest both in possible participation in the association and in developing close cooperation, building trade and investment cooperation with the BRICS countries," he said.

"A number of African countries have expressed interest in joining the 'five'. We're not saying which ones yet because this is a long process," the diplomat added.

"During the summit in South Africa in August, two African states - Egypt and Ethiopia - joined the BRICS family, which caused a storm of different emotions in Africa," Ozerov said. "This emotional component is significant in terms of how BRICS sees the future. The desire to connect to BRICS mechanisms is becoming more evident," he added. This positive development is a turning point in efforts to forge a comprehensive multilateral approach "that contributes to global peace and shared prosperity," Ozerov said.

"We expect quite serious participation of African states in this event (BRICS summit in Kazan in 2024 - TASS)," the diplomat said.

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Foreign policy BRICS

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