MOSCOW (Sputnik) — “There is a moratorium on accepting new members in BRICS… We need to establish efficient functioning of the cooperation formats that are already working in BRICS. When we will see that this is really working, then we can start discussing the possibility of accepting new candidates,” Lukov told journalists, adding that Argentina’s membership in BRICS is not on the agenda.
The Russian diplomat said he believes BRICS will grow but suggests that it should happen “stage by stage.”
The BRICS group of prominent emerging economies was established in 2010, when South Africa joined Brazil, Russia, India and China in what was previously known as the BRIC nations. As of 2014, the five BRICS economies represented some 40 percent of the world population generating a total of about 20 percent of the gross world product.
