"One of the priorities of our presidency [of BRICS in 2025] will be to make these countries feel welcomed as members of the BRICS family," Saboia told Agencia Brasil.
"They [BRICS partners] will participate in the BRICS foreign ministers' meetings and are expected to be present at the summit.
"The announcement regarding the accession of the partner countries will be made in the coming weeks," Saboia added.
The diplomat also mentioned that the BRICS states' aim to increase the number of permanent members of the UN Security Council will drive the further growth of the organisation, and Brazilian authorities will support this decision. "If we are in favour of reforming and expanding the UN Security Council, perhaps we should also expand BRICS," he emphasised.
Russia holds the BRICS chairmanship in 2024. The key event of Russia's presidency was the BRICS Summit in Kazan on October 22 to 24.
In addition to the BRICS members, the summit was attended by heads and representatives from numerous Asian, African, and Latin American countries. On January 1, 2025, the BRICS chairmanship will transfer to Brazil.
On December 23, Kremlin Aide Yury Ushakov said that one of the significant results of the BRICS Summit in Kazan was the creation of the BRICS partner country category - thirteen countries were offered this status.
Belarus, Bolivia, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Malaysia, Thailand, Uganda, and Uzbekistan have already confirmed their readiness to become BRICS partners, Ushakov said, adding that from January 1, 2025, "they will officially acquire the status."
The BRICS group was founded in 2006 by Brazil, Russia, India, and China, with South Africa joining in 2011. On January 1, 2024, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates became full members of the association.
-- BERNAMA
