KAZAN, October 24. /TASS/. Kazakhstan considers BRICS one of the driving forces of global progress, President of the Republic Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said at a an Outreach/BRICS Plus meeting in Kazan.

"Kazakhstan considers BRICS one of the driving forces of global progress. We are pleased to note the dynamic growth of Kazakhstan's trade with the countries of the association, which in 2023 amounted to almost half of our foreign trade turnover," he said.

Tokayev noted that BRICS has become a global center of international attraction, which is of interest to many countries seeking mutually beneficial cooperation.

"BRICS has both the resources and experience to build a future based on the principles of shared prosperity, mutual respect and partnership. <...> There is no doubt that the multilateral efforts of BRICS will harmoniously complement the activities of the UN, which remains an indispensable and universal structure," Tokayev said.

According to him, Astana has developed friendly relations with each member-state of the association. He also thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for organizing the summit in Kazan.

On October 16, Tokayev's advisor and press secretary Berik Uali reported in an interview with Tengrinews that Astana is watching the development of BRICS with interest and supports calls for building a just world. But he noted that Astana will currently refrain from submitting an application to join BRICS. Speaking at a forum in Astana last week, Tokayev stated that there is no alternative to the UN and called for reforming the organization’s Security Council so that the voices of middle and regional powers can be heard in it.

The 16th BRICS Summit, which is the key event of Russia’s chairmanship in the association, is being held in Kazan on October 22-24. On the second day of the summit, its participants adopted the Kazan Declaration. The main topics of the document include the association’s future development, its position on global issues, settlement of regional crises, including in Ukraine and the Middle East.

The BRICS group was founded in 2006 by Brazil, Russia, India, and China, with South Africa joining it in 2011. On January 1, 2024, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, became its full-fledged members. The Kazan summit became the first they attended as full-fledged members of the association.