16 countries are planning to join the BRICS group

Almost two dozen countries intend to become members of BRICS in the near or more distant future. More and more states are expressing the desire to become members of the bloc. This was announced by Sergei Ryabkov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, as reported by TASS.

Ryabkov pointed out that the number of potential candidates is constantly changing upwards.

In addition, the Deputy Minister explained the formats of participation in the bloc, especially highlighting full membership and the BRICS+ format, as well as participation in the New Development Bank and said that the candidates themselves will decide how exactly to work in the bloc.

"I won't hide it, we just haven't had experience of working with so many applications so far. The list is quite long now. There is a plurality of formats and different geometry is acceptable," continued the Deputy Foreign Minister.

Sergei Ryabkov also noted that the bloc plans to work in the area of regional security: "The recent agreements reached with the important role of China, with our very significant contribution between Saudi Arabia and Iran, have created a new context of regional work." This is how BRICS responds to the challenges of the times.

Ryabkov added that it is "an asset that will be valued in the Brics circle" and will be accreted through the development of political dialogue.

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