MOSCOW, December 17. /TASS/. BRICS is a ray of hope for those countries who defy the Western diktat, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister and BRICS Sherpa Sergey Ryabkov told the TASS Analytical Center in an interview, when asked to summarize the results of Russia's presidency of the association.
He pointed out that the influence of the world majority manifested itself in particular in the fact that whenever the countries of this group vote on many issues at the UN General Assembly and other platforms, Russia no longer sees the former hesitation in defending national viewpoints as a counterbalance to what is imposed by the collective West.
"The existence of BRICS is in a sense a ray of hope for those who, when the group was still non-existent, probably found it more difficult to shape a nationally oriented sovereign foreign policy," Ryabkov said.
Since January 1, 2024, the BRICS group (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) has expanded to incorporate Egypt, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, and Ethiopia. Saudi Arabia enjoys the status of an invited country. Russia became the first chair of the enlarged BRICS. Brazil will take over the presidency next year.