UNITED NATIONS, September 28. /TASS/. All of the current BRICS member-countries now consider it not feasible to admit new members, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told a news conference following his participation in the high-level week of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly.
"As for the prospects for BRICS expansion, at this stage all affiliated countries consider it reasonable not to make new decisions for the time being and to adapt the organization, an association of like-minded members. There were five of us, now there are ten. Of course, this requires some kind of habituation and smooth entry of new members into the work in line with the traditions that the quintet has developed over years," Lavrov said.
He added that at the upcoming BRICS summit in Kazan some proposals would be presented for how the organization's new partner countries might look like. More than 20 countries wish to become partners and about 10 more wish to maintain permanent contacts.
"I’m not in the position to predict what kind of agreement may be achieved, but it will be announced, of course," Lavrov added.
BRICS was founded in 2006 by Brazil, Russia, India and China, with South Africa joining the group in 2011. On January 1, 2024, Egypt, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Ethiopia became full members. The main event this year, under the Russian presidency, will be the summit in Kazan on October 22-24.