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New BRICS partner countries may submit proposals without voting — Russian senior diplomat

Sergey Ryabkov emphasized that all the states invited to join the association as partners "were provided with detailed explanations of what this status entails"

MOSCOW, December 17. /TASS/. New BRICS partner countries will have the opportunity to offer ideas but will not be involved in coordinating documents or participating in voting, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister and BRICS Sherpa Sergey Ryabkov said in an interview with TASS, summarizing the outcomes of Russia's chairmanship of the association.

"The status of the partner countries has been clearly outlined," the senior diplomat stated. "Essentially, it involves participation within the BRICS framework - automatically in some cases and through a special consensus decision by member countries in others. Partners may present their ideas, if they have any, for consideration by senior members, but they do not take part in negotiating documents or, of course, in voting. In this sense, they are excluded from the decision-making process," he added.

The diplomat also emphasized that all the states invited to join the association as partners "were provided with detailed explanations of what this status entails."

Russian Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov announced on October 23 that a list of 13 countries that could potentially become BRICS partner states had been agreed on. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Pankin said on November 15 that Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia had already become BRICS partners. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko told Izvestia earlier that Vietnam had also expressed a wish to join BRICS as a partner state.

Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates became members of the BRICS group (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) on January 1, 2024. Saudi Arabia currently has the status of an invited country. Brazil will take over the BRICS chairmanship next year.

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