SIRIUS /Federal Territory/, November 11. /TASS/. Namibia would like to become a member of BRICS, the country’s ambassador to Moscow, Clemens Handuukeme Kashuupulwa, told TASS on the sidelines of the first ministerial conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum.

When asked if his country is interested to join the association he replied: "Yes, obviously. You cannot be behind it [this process], which will open up interaction with progressive nations for us," he said. The ambassador noted that the country is preparing for possible accession to BRICS.

"We are working closely with South Africa [on this matter], but for the moment we are not yet prepared to be members of BRICS. This process was also delayed due to the death of our president. <…> We will have elections on November 27. After that, we will continue our work," the ambassador explained.

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.

Following the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that the list of partner countries of the association had been agreed upon. Their full list was not named. As the Russian leader explained, invitations would first be sent to these states, and upon receiving a positive response, it would be announced what states are on this list.