Russia said it will not “get ahead” of itself and announce its position on the admission of certain new countries to the BRICS group when asked about the possibility of the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Argentina joining the economic bloc.
AlArabia News quoting Moscow’s state news agency TASS said Thursday, Russia does not think it’s necessary “to get ahead of ourselves and announce our position before they (discussions) take place among BRICS member states.”
However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying. “In any case, we are talking about countries with which we have quite constructive cooperation in various areas.”
Peskov, however, emphasized Russia’s stance on the expansion of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa), according to TASS, who cited him as saying, “In one form or another, the BRICS expansion will contribute to the further development and strengthening of this organization.”
The BRICS summit in August will look into admitting new members and what criteria they would have to meet, with Iran and Saudi Arabia among those who have reportedly formally asked to join, according to multiple media reports earlier this year.
Around 30 new countries have shown interest in joining the bloc, with some nations, such as Algeria and Belarus, having submitting formal applications.
Five new countries, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Argentina, Egypt, and Indonesia, could be admitted to BRICS at the Johannesburg summit in August, an Indian newspaper, Business Standard, cited its sources as saying.
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