Vershinin interest of Asian, African and Latin American countries in BRICS is growing

The interest of the states of Asia, Africa and Latin America in BRICS is growing. Many are interested in joining the association, according to Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia Sergei Vershinin, who told RIA Novosti that he is pleased to see this growing interest. "There are many countries that are closely watching the activities of this alliance and, naturally, are showing interest in joining," the deputy foreign minister said on the sidelines of the opening of the regional Seminar of the UN General Assembly Special Committee on Decolonization.
The number of states applying to join BRICS is growing rapidly, with more than 40 applications received to date. This was revealed by the head of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs, Grigory Karasin, at a briefing held at the site of the international media group MIA Rossiya Segodnya in April.
On 1 January 2024, Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa were joined as new full BRICS members by Egypt, Iran, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Ethiopia.