Belarus Foreign Ministry: Belarus has officially become a BRICS 'partner'

The statement, which noted that Belarusian Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov delivered the letter during a meeting with Russia's Ambassador to Minsk, Boris Gryzlov, stated, "Providing a formal response to a written invitation is a mandatory element of the procedure for obtaining the partner status adopted by the member states. From that moment on, the country is officially considered a BRICS partner."

The statement also included the content of Belarusian President Lukashenko's letter. Emphasizing that since its inception, BRICS has steadily strengthened multilateral interaction and has become not just a symbol but one of the main pillars of multipolarity, Lukashenko stated, "Not only member states but also an increasing number of countries in the global majority are pinning their hopes for a fair world order on this union. The spirit of mutual respect and equality, and the attractiveness of its goals, are leading to the expansion of BRICS with relentless logic."

Lukashenko expressed his satisfaction that Belarus's accession to BRICS as a partner was formalized during Russia's chairmanship.

The ministry announced that Belarus has thereby confirmed its compliance with the necessary standards and criteria of BRICS and has agreed to follow the guiding principles of the BRICS partner country model.

BRICS LEADERS HAD MET IN RUSSIA

Last month, the BRICS leaders' summit was held in Kazan, the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan, a federal subject of the Russian Federation, with participation at the level of heads of state, heads of government, and ministers from 32 countries, including Turkey, alongside the leaders of BRICS member countries.

In his statement after the summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that they had agreed on a roadmap regarding the expansion of BRICS, saying, "BRICS countries have agreed on a list of partner countries for the Union as the first stage on the path to expansion."

Explaining that invitations would be sent to the relevant countries, Putin said, "Some countries participating in today's and yesterday's events have conveyed their proposals and requests to us regarding full participation in the work of BRICS. We will then send our invitations and proposals to future partner countries in this capacity. We will announce who is on this list when we receive positive responses regarding their participation in our work. It would not be right to announce it now without receiving full answers."

BRICS HAS AN IMPORTANT PLACE IN THE WORLD ECONOMY

The acronym "BRIC," which initially did not include South Africa, entered the literature in 2001 when it was used by British economist Jim O'Neill in an article highlighting the growth potential of Brazil, Russia, India, and China.

The establishment of the union dates back to 2009 as an informal platform to balance the global dominance of the US and Western countries, with the initiatives of Russia. With the invitation of South Africa a year later, the union took its current name, BRICS.

BRICS, which included Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa among its founders, expanded with the memberships of Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates.

With the addition of 4 new countries this year, the total number of members has risen to 9, and BRICS holds an important place in the world economy.