TOKYO, July 29. /TASS/. Malaysia would like to join BRICS due to economic power of the integration’s member states, Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan addressing the Malaysian Senate (upper house of the parliament).

"BRICS is an informal bloc that does not require the signing of any treaties by us, Malaysia. We consider this bloc a good platform for the country as the population of [BRICS] member states is above 2 bln [people], while GDP is higher than GDP of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations - TASS) nations," he was quoted as saying by the Bernama news agency. "This is why Malaysia has shown interest in joining BRICS if membership applications are still accepted," the minister added.

ASEAN countries will discuss the issue whether members of the association can enter BRICS separately if necessary, he noted.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said earlier that Malaysia had sent a BRICS entry application to Russia. On Sunday, he met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Later he said that the conversation focused mainly on the issue of Malaysia’s application to enter BRICS, adding that this would have a serious potential for both countries. In turn, Lavrov said that Russia, which is currently holding BRICS presidency, will facilitate promotion of Malaysia’s interest in partnership in the integration.