JOHANNESBURG /South Africa/, August 23. /TASS/. The BRICS leaders have adopted a document enshrining guidelines and principles of the association’s expansion, South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor said.

"We have agreed on the matter of expansion. We have a document that we've adopted which sets out guidelines and principles, processes for considering countries that wish to become members of BRICS. <...> That's very positive," the top diplomat said on the Ubuntu Radio.

Since January, the BRICS Sherpas have been working on the concept of expansion and the principles of its implementation. So far, twenty-two countries have submitted formal membership applications: Algeria, Argentina, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Belarus, Bolivia, Venezuela, Vietnam, Honduras, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Kuwait, Nigeria, the United Arab Emirates, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Thailand and Ethiopia. According to insider information, three to five countries may be admitted to BRICS this year. Some list Argentina, the UAE and Saudi Arabia among these countries.