RT reported that on October 3, Russian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Ryabkov said that BRICS candidates cannot participate in sanctions against any member country of this economic bloc, and also stated one of the conditions for joining BRICS.
BRICS began as an informal association of Brazil, Russia, India and China, later adding South Africa and expanding to a nine-member bloc from early 2024. BRICS is expected to discuss further expansion at the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia later this month.
"Candidate countries should pursue a sovereign policy, play an important role in international and regional affairs, build good-neighborly and friendly relations with BRICS countries and not participate in illegal sanctions against members of the group," Deputy Minister Ryabkov said at a press conference in Moscow on October 3 when asked about the conditions for countries wishing to become members.
Russia considers sanctions imposed by the United States and its allies over the Ukrainian conflict illegal and unjustified.
Russia will host the annual BRICS summit in Kazan later this month, as the group’s rotating chair. Countries interested in joining BRICS include Algeria, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Honduras, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Morocco, Nigeria, Palestine, Senegal, Thailand and Venezuela.
The door to BRICS remains open, Deputy Minister Ryabkov said, and Russia's goal this year is to "ensure the organic and comprehensive integration" of newly accepted members into the "multifaceted architecture of the BRICS partnership", while maintaining the dynamism and effectiveness of the bloc's mechanisms and formats.
Mr. Ryabkov added that enlargement must always be aimed at strengthening BRICS' international capacity and authority, and all decisions within the bloc are made based on consensus.
Founded in 2006, BRICS admitted South Africa in 2011. In early 2024, BRICS also welcomed Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates, although the decision was made to retain the original five-letter English acronyms of the founding countries.
Current BRICS member states account for about 46% of the world’s population and more than 36% of global GDP, according to estimates by global financial institutions. Russian President Vladimir Putin said last month that at least 34 countries have expressed interest in joining BRICS.
