MOSCOW, March 13. /TASS/. The BRICS will retain its name in the future after the expansion, because this is a recognizable brand and ‘trademark,’ says Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, Russia’s sherpa in the BRICS, Sergey Ryabkov.

"It is necessary to make this clear. The leaders have reached a single understanding that, despite the expansion, which took place on January 1, the association will retain its name, even in its expanded membership. Full stop. Not ‘BRICS+,’ just BRICS. It is a brand. It is a recognizable trademark, if you will. So this is how it will be," he said in an interview for the first issue of TASS’ "BRICS Bulletin," answering a question if "BRICS+" can be considered the final name.

In this regard, the diplomat noted that the "BRICS+" name "is being used in application to formats that involve countries that are not the association’s member states."

"There is also the ‘BRICS Outreach’ format, which also will not go anywhere. It is mainly being used for contacts with states that are, let’s say, in geographical proximity to the presiding country at any given moment. To a degree, the BRICS+ is larger than the ‘Outreach’," Ryabkov added.

Speaking about the meaning and implication of the BRICS, the deputy foreign minister noted that the association is "an alternative to Western practical cooperation formats," where "the policy of diktat continues."

"And there is no such thing in the BRICS," Ryabkov underscored.

He added that the association "makes it possible to work on concrete project, multiplying the positive effect due to BRICS countries representing the global majority and all regions of the world.".