ST. PETERSBURG, June 18. /TASS/. Alexander Shchetinin, director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Latin American department, on Saturday said some Latin American nations are seeking closer ties with BRICS.

He expressed confidence that Russia's cooperation with countries that show interest in BRICS will continue. "In what format, we will coordinate first of all with our partners in this group, and with those countries that want to be closer to BRICS, including with regard to Latin America," he told TASS on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

According to the diplomat, the issue of any additional BRICS formats is the subject for a discussion, primarily within the group.

BRICS is an informal group of countries, which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The purpose of the association is the development of comprehensive cooperation between the member countries. It is non-bloc in nature and is not directed against third parties. It has no permanent headquarters.