25 Countries Show Interest In BRICS, Russian Presidential Aide Wants Phased Expansion

JAKARTA - Senior Kremlin officials want a gradual expansion of the organization, as the number of countries interested in the BRICS economic group continues to grow.

Russian President Yuri Ushakov said more than 20 countries, apart from elected partner countries, showed interest in systemic dialogue with BRICS.

"The association's doors remain open to countries of the same opinion. Currently, more than two dozen countries have shown interest in systemic dialogue with BRICS: Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Chad, Colombia, Republic of Congo, Guinea Equatorial, Honduras, Laos, Kuwait, Morocco, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Palestine, Senegal, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Syria, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe," Ushakov detailed. , reported TASS December 24.

In addition to the countries above, Ushakov said Eritrea also wants to work with BRICS.

Ushakov also highlighted the importance of a controlled and gradual expansion of the organization.

"Obviously the uncontrolled expansion of our association will break the backbone. We believe that we need stepwise, harmonious, and accurate steps. As we have taken during our tenure as chairman," Ushakov concluded.

Earlier, Russian Adjutant Ushakov announced on October 23, the list of 13 countries potentially partnering with BRICS was approved.

Meanwhile, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Pankin said that on November 15, Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia had become partners with BRICS.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko, in turn, told Izvestia Vietnam had also expressed its desire to join BRICS as a partner country.

Last week, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov, who also serves as Moscow's BRICS Sherpa, said the new list of partner countries of the economic cooperation group would be published in the coming two weeks.

"There are two weeks left before the end of the year Russia (BRICS presidency). This is the time for us to resolve the situation in coordination with our partners and announce a list of those who have approved everything," he said in an interview with the TASS Analysis Center.

It is known that Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates became members of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) group on January 1, 2024. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia currently has the status of an invited country.