The bloc, comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, needs more countries, but they must be a good fit and not just selected artificially simply for the sake of getting "more flags," said Andrey Klimov, deputy head of the Russian upper chamber's committee on foreign affairs, adding that it is worth considering different formats for membership.
According to the senator, it would not be right to force the process.
"In fact, there are many applications, but the main goal is to consolidate the efforts of sovereign powers that play a huge role in their continent and even in the world. To force this artificially is probably not very right, although some would like to have more countries, more flags, more numbers of some kind. I am still in favor of adding quality," Klimov said.
He cited the example of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which did not expand quickly, and recalled that BRICS initially consisted only of Russia, India, and China.
"Time will tell how the BRICS will develop. We already have a New Development Bank of BRICS, it is getting on its feet, a pool of reserve currencies, which should show itself - I think it will be after the summit in August," he said.
"If we just follow some information agenda and think about PR, it will hardly give us any added value. In this regard, we will move towards a formula that is closer to me - BRICS+. Countries have the right to work in the BRICS format in different areas, from sports to finance, and one can become a member of the BRICS New Development Bank without joining BRICS. Participation in the championships organized by BRICS without being part of the organization is also possible," Klimov noted.
BRICS unites the world's largest developing economies — Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. South Africa, which assumed the rotating BRICS presidency in January, will host the 15th BRICS summit in August. Currently, there are a number of countries that have officially declared their aspirations for membership in BRICS, including Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, Argentina, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, Egypt, and Algeria, with the latter announcing its bid as recently as this month.