MOSCOW, January 31. /TASS/. As BRICS chair, Russia will pay much attention to countries who have decided to establish partnerships with the group, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

Addressing a session of the first meeting of BRICS sherpas and sous-sherpas, Russia’s top diplomat said: "Accession of new members to BRICS strengthens strategic partnership and the global posture of our group." According to Lavrov, a large number of countries are seeking to become partners with BRICS or have made a relevant official announcement. "Of course, we will pay much attention to that during our presidency," he said.

"BRICS is powerful enough to shape the global agenda, by consistently defending interests of the global majority, presenting its vision of how a future world order would look like, based on objective developments rather than schemes being put up artificially in order to delay human progress," Lavrov said with confidence.

With BRICS accounting for 30% of all land on the planet, 45% of the world population and around a quarter of global exports and possessing huge oil reserves, "we cannot simply sit and wait or follow in the wake of major historical processes, especially given the hopes BRICS member countries are pinning on the Global South and East," the Russian foreign minister concluded.