DUBAI, August 30. /TASS/. Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad congratulated Egypt, Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia on their future accession to BRICS, Lebanon’s Al Mayadeen television reported.

"Multipolarity is the only [way] to solve the problems facing the world, and we congratulate Iran, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt on joining BRICS," he told a news conference in Damascus following talks with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.

BRICS includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The group held a summit in South Africa from August 22 to 24. According to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, the leaders of the group’s member countries decided to invite Argentina, Egypt, Iran, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Ethiopia to become BRICS members from January 1, 2024. However, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said on the sidelines of the summit that Riyadh would study the invitation to become a BRICS member and make "an appropriate decision." According to the official, the kingdom is waiting for details on the nature of membership in the group.