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India's BRICS presidency in 2026 promises to be eventful — Russian envoy

Last year several countries began working within the BRICS framework, and many states are planning to join this association, the diplomat noted

NEW DELHI, December 16. /TASS/. India's upcoming BRICS presidency in 2026 promises to be eventful, said Russian Ambassador to India Denis Alipov who participated in a discussion organized by the Observer Research Foundation think tank.

India "has already outlined its priorities," he said. "It will certainly present them in more detail in the coming days and months. A comprehensive, detailed program will be proposed for the entire next year. And I think India will cope with this task very well, as it did during its G20 presidency several years ago," Alipov said, adding that "the coming year within the BRICS framework under the Indian chairmanship promises to be very eventful and interesting."

Last year several countries began working within the BRICS framework, and many states are planning to join this association, the diplomat noted. "There is obvious interest in this platform, which is not an organization, but an informal association, a platform for various countries, offering a consensus-based platform for discussing various issues," he said.

"There are hundreds of areas of cooperation that we discuss and collaborate on in politics, economic development, education, and scientific research. The New Development Bank finances various projects in member countries. I think the popularity of BRICS is explained by the fact that it is a very open and convenient platform for cooperation between the participating countries," Alipov stressed.

Since its inception in 2006, BRICS has experienced two phases of expansion. In 2011, South Africa joined the original group, which included Brazil, Russia, India, and China. On January 1, 2024, five new members officially entered BRICS, namely Egypt, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Ethiopia.

Brazil took over BRICS presidency from Russia on January 1, 2025. At a BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia in October 2024, it was decided to establish a category of BRICS partner countries. The first countries to become partners were Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Malaysia, Thailand, Uganda and Uzbekistan. Indonesia was also initially named as a BRICS partner, but on January 6, Brazil announced that the Asian country had been given a status of full member. On January 17, Brazil’s Foreign Ministry said that Nigeria had joined BRICS as a partner.

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