Information about the time of announcement of the list of new members of the BRICS group was shared by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov in an interview with TASS.
“We plan to announce the final list of countries that will become BRICS partners before the end of Russia’s presidency at the end of this year. I cannot name them at this point because it would be contrary to what we agreed with other BRICS members and what we have been following since the Kazan summit,” Deputy Minister Sergey Ryabkov said.
No country has refused an invitation to become a BRICS partner, the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister added.
“As of today, the list is not closed. No invitations have been refused and the chairing country plans to announce the list before the end of the year,” Deputy Minister Ryabkov said.
However, the senior Russian diplomat pointed out that the main problem is that not all potential partners have completed the procedures in their countries. Therefore, BRICS does not have a final list yet. Therefore, Russia has not published the list to avoid putting those countries in an awkward position.
“We need to be patient. Once again, I repeat, no invitation is refused,” he stressed.
Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are the newest members of the BRICS group (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) on January 1, 2024. Following Russia's presidency this year, Brazil will assume the BRICS presidency in 2025.
