MOSCOW, Aug 1 high on the agenda, including the upcoming summit, spokesman for the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov told reporters. that we see that more and more countries are making statements about their intentions to join this group,» Peskov said.
He noted that such interest in the BRICS group indicates «great potential for association» and » growing prestige. «And most importantly, about the practical significance of this association,» Peskov added.
Putin's press secretary said that there are certain nuances among the members in the topic of BRICS expansion. «And all these nuances, of course, will be discussed during the upcoming summit,» Peskov said. He specified that during the summit «heads of state will talk about their position.»
In 2022, BRICS announced that it would expand the number of member countries to make the organization more inclusive. At least 19 states have already expressed their desire to join the economic bloc, including Argentina, Iran, Algeria, Tunisia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. As the South African Sherpa in Anil Suklal's association previously stated, 13 countries were officially asked to become members of the BRICS, and six more were asked unofficially. The twentieth country could be Venezuela. As the Ambassador of South Africa in Moscow, Mzuvukile Maketuka, said in an interview, all countries of the association welcome the expansion, but it is necessary to determine the modalities for the admission of new members, and this issue should be decided collectively.
The BRICS summit, which will be held in Johannesburg on August 22-24, will the leaders of China, India, Brazil and South Africa will be present, Russia will be represented by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that he would participate in the summit via videoconference.