MOSCOW, January 23. /TASS/. Moscow welcomes Baku’s desire to work with BRICS in some capacity, a position it made clear during its presidency last year, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a news briefing.
"We can only welcome the aspiration by Azerbaijan, much like by other countries close to us, to join cooperation within the framework of the BRICS group which stands for the interests of the global majority. Last year, we talked about this very extensively, and the reason is simple - we were chairing. Now, the chairmanship has passed to another country, but that did not change our overall position," she said, replying to a question on the matter.
The diplomat stressed that Russia has consistently supported the expansion of interaction within BRICS with the countries of the Global South and East. Zakharova explained that, above all, this concerns those countries that aim to bolster bilateral foundations in international relations, pursue a sovereign foreign policy and shun illegitimate unilateral sanctions. The spokeswoman added that this stance by Russia was also enshrined in the August 19, 2024 joint statement by the leaders of Russia and Azerbaijan.
"In 2024, within the framework of the Russian chairmanship, BRICS aspired to get like-minded countries, including Azerbaijan, involved as much as possible in the group’s events in the traditional outreach/BRICS plus format. These efforts were purposefully continued during the Brazilian term in the group during the current 2025 year," Zakharova noted.
She added that the decision for the country to become a full-fledged BRICS member, just like any other, must be made on the basis of consensus.
"Last year, Azerbaijan was included in the expanded list of countries that showed interest in strengthening cooperation with the group. BRICS’ doors are open," the diplomat concluded.