The head of the BRICS International Forum, Purnima Anand, said in an interview with the Izvestia newspaper that Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia could join the group “very soon.”
Anand said that China, Russia and India discussed the issue during the 14th BRICS Leaders’ Summit, which took place virtually from June 23 to 24.
“All these countries have expressed interest in joining and are preparing to apply for membership. I think this is a good move, given that such an expansion has always been received positively and will obviously increase the influence of the BRICS around the world,” she added.
She expressed hope that the process of accession of these countries to the group will pass very quickly, “because all representatives of the main countries of the group show interest in expanding the organization. So it will be very soon.”
She stressed that the accession of Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey will also happen quickly, because this process has already started. It states that joining cannot happen at the same time.
Earlier, the head of the department of international economic relations of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Li Qixin, said that several countries were “knocking” on the organization’s doors, including Indonesia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Argentina.
Source: RIA Novosti