NEW DELHI, July 16. /TASS/. The expansion of BRICS under the current conditions of global transformations made this group stronger and more viable, Abhishek Singh, head of the department of economic relations of India’s Foreign Ministry, said.

Speaking at a conference on promoting BRICS multi-dimensional agenda at the Institute of Social Sciences in New Delhi, he said: "The expansion of BRICS has made it even more viable." "India has always been a very staunch supporter of multilateralism. This is the very reason that in various multilateral forums, such as G20, BRICS, the United Nations, the WTO, India, along with other like-minded countries, is trying to create a more representative and multilateral global governance architecture."

Russia’s Charge d'Affaires in India Roman Babushkin noted that one of the most important values of BRICS is the sincere dedication to find solutions to complex issues. He pointed out that during the current period of global changes, "BRICS naturally becomes a center of gravitation of the Global South" which shares BRICS’ "solidarity and aspirations for a more fair and equal multipolar world."

BRICS’ expansion

Russia took over the BRICS chairmanship on January 1. The group now includes ten countries. The BRICS group has seen two waves of expansion since its emergence in 2006. In 2011, South Africa joined the original membership, which included Brazil, Russia, India and China. In August 2023, six new members, including Argentina, were invited to join the association. Buenos Aires changed its mind in late December last year. Five new members, Egypt, Iran, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Ethiopia, officially joined the group on January 1, 2024.