NEW DELHI, November 2. /TASS/. Thirteen countries have been granted the BRICS partner status following the group’s summit in Kazan, the country's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said at a briefing.

"Thirteen states have been admitted as partner countries. It was a collective decision of the BRICS nations," he said. Jaiswal emphasized that partner country status is distinct from full membership.

The 16th BRICS Summit, the key event of Russia’s chairmanship in the association, was held in Kazan on October 22-24. On the second day of the summit, participants adopted the Kazan Declaration.

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 and the United Arab Emirates became its full-fledged members. The Kazan summit became the first to be attended by the new members of the association as full-fledged members.

Following the event, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the list of partner countries had been agreed upon, but did not provide details on its composition. He explained that invitations will be sent to these states first, and once positive responses are received, the list will be announced.