MOSCOW, March 5. /TASS/. Many countries see in BRICS a prototype of a structure uniting the South and the East of the world, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said in an interview with TASS.
"Such a high prestige and a really serious constructive role of BRICS in the world economy and politics naturally attract the attention of other countries, which have begun to show a desire to join the association’s activities in one way or another. Many perceive BRICS as a prototype of multipolarity, a structure uniting the Global South and East on the principles of equality, sovereignty and mutual respect," Ushakov said.
He recalled that BRICS approached last year's 15th Summit with a whole package of applications for accession from more than twenty countries. At that summit, a fundamental political decision on the expansion of the association was made, and painstaking work was carried out to determine the group of countries that should be admitted in the first place, the presidential aide added.
"By the way, it was also agreed at that time to keep unchanged the name BRICS, which is well-recognized in the world, even after the enlargement. This allows us, among other things, to further emphasize the continuity of our work in the association, as well as the key role of the founding countries," the official concluded.
Russia took over the BRICS presidency on January 1, 2024.