MOSCOW, November 11. /TASS/. Malaysia has received an invitation to join BRICS as a partner country and will soon submit its response, Malaysia’s Ambassador to Russia, Cheong Loon Lai, told TASS.

"Yes, Malaysia received an invitation to join BRICS as a partner country around two weeks ago," the diplomat confirmed. He added that the invitation is being "actively considered" by the Malaysian side, and the country’s "response is expected soon." According to the ambassador, the invitation has been forwarded to Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan.

Earlier, Indian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said that 13 states were granted the BRICS partner status following the group's summit in Kazan.

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.

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.