MOSCOW, October 22. /TASS/. There is no talk of admitting new states in the full sense of the word to the BRICS association this year, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said in an interview for the Serbian newspaper Politika.
"There is no talk today of admitting new members in the full sense of the word this year. The fact is that since January 1, 2024, the BRICS association has almost doubled in size, and the adjustment period for those who have just joined has not yet been fully completed," he said.
Combining further expansion of the association's member countries with the effectiveness of its practical activities is not an easy task, Ryabkov noted. "I am not playing to lower the stakes, I am not trying to weaken the interest in rapprochement with BRICS, but I am simply talking about the real situation. We respect Turkey's desire to join BRICS, and we are glad that President [of Turkey Recep Tayyip] Erdogan will come to Kazan," he added.
"We will continue in-depth discussions with our Turkish colleagues and, of course, within BRICS on how to approach the long list of countries that have expressed their desire to join the association," Ryabkov said.
BRICS was founded in 2006 by Brazil, Russia, India and China, with South Africa joining it in 2011. On January 1, 2024, Egypt, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Ethiopia became the group’s full members.
On January 1, 2024, Russia took over the BRICS’ yearlong presidency. It features more than 200 various events. The BRICS summit in Kazan on October 22-24 will be the association’s main event during Russia’s presidency.