MOSCOW, October 25. /TASS/. The countries of the collective West have taken extensive measures to neutralize the agenda of the BRICS Summit in Kazan and attempted to tarnish the images of the association's member states through misinformation, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated on Channel One.

"First, [the success of the BRICS Summit in Kazan was] an information shock for the collective West. Second, they began to seek every opportunity to spread additional information aimed at either neutralizing the agenda or denigrating the image of BRICS member states during the association's events, ministerial meetings, and summits," she said.

No matter how hard the West tried to suppress information about the successful development of BRICS, these attempts became futile after the historic expansion of the organization in 2024, Zakharova noted.

"It could no longer be hidden after new states joined the founding members [of BRICS]. The organization had expanded to include several new countries, and there are still dozens willing to join," the diplomat emphasized.

The 16th BRICS Summit, which has become a key event of Russia's chairmanship in the association, was held in Kazan on October 22-24. On the second day of the event, its participants adopted the Kazan Declaration, focusing on the group’s development, global issues and the need to resolve regional crises, including in Ukraine and the Middle East.

The BRICS group was established in 2006 by Brazil, Russia, India and China, with South Africa joining in 2011. On January 1, 2024, Egypt, Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Ethiopia joined the association. The Kazan Summit was the first time they participated as full members.