MOSCOW, August 24. /TASS/. Chile’s interest in BRICS is growing, much like in other Latin American countries, Russian Ambassador to Santiago Vladimir Belinsky said.

"Naturally, the subject of BRICS, the group’s dynamic development and expansion, cannot go unnoticed in Chile where they traditionally pay close attention to integration processes and constantly seek new opportunities on joining global supply chains," he said. "Such a perception of processes in BRICS, including during the Russian chairmanship, undoubtedly corresponds to current needs and will only grow stronger, both in Chile and in other countries in the region which is objectively turning into one of the development centers of the modern multipolar world," the envoy added.

BRICS’ expansion

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.

Russia assumed the one-year rotating chairmanship of the BRICS intergovernmental group on January 1, 2024. On Moscow’s watch, BRICS will carry out over 250 events covering a wide range of issues. The key event of Russia’s chairmanship will be the BRICS summit in October 2024 in Kazan, Tatarstan, in Russia’s Volga region.