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BRICS member states now discuss partner status of 13 countries — Kremlin aide

According to Yury Ushakov, the issue of obtaining the status of a partner country is "a subject of consultations between delegations"

KAZAN, October 22. /TASS/. Thirteen countries are holding consultations on obtaining the status of a BRICS partner state, Kremlin Aide Yury Ushakov told Channel One.

According to him, the issue of obtaining the status of a partner country is "a subject of consultations between delegations, it will be considered by the leaders" of the BRICS states.

Answering a clarifying question about the number of such states, Ushakov said, "Now, frankly speaking, there are 13 of them."

Russian President Vladimir Putin said earlier that up to 30 states have expressed a desire to join the BRICS work in one way or another. The Kremlin aide said that a dozen countries were being considered as possible partners of the association.

The 16th BRICS Summit, which is the key event of Russia’s chairmanship in the association, is being held in Kazan on October 22-24. The BRICS group was founded in 2006 by Brazil, Russia, India, and China, with South Africa joining it in 2011. On January 1, 2024, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, became its full-fledged members.

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Foreign policy BRICS summit

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