Following the BRICS summit in Kazan, 13 countries have been granted partner status with the organization, as confirmed by India's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal. He emphasized that partner status differs from full membership and was decided collectively by the BRICS nations.
The 16th BRICS summit, held in Kazan from October 22 to 24, was a key event during Russia's presidency of the group. The Kazan Declaration, issued at the summit's conclusion, established criteria for partner countries. Previously, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov explained that future BRICS expansion will likely be guided by these partnership criteria.
Founded in 2006, BRICS originally included Brazil, Russia, India, and China, with South Africa joining in 2011. In a significant expansion, Egypt, Iran, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Ethiopia became full members on January 1, 2024.
Following the Kazan summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that the list of BRICS partner countries has been finalized, though the specific names were not disclosed. He added that invitations will be extended to these countries, and once confirmed, their identities will be publicly announced.
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Photo: brics-russia2020.ru/Creative Commons 4.0
Based on materials from TASS