CAIRO — President of the BRICS International Forum Purnima Anand announced July 14 that Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey are interested in joining the BRICS group.
In an interview with the Russian newspaper Izvestia, Anand said, “All these countries [Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey] have shown an interest in joining and are preparing to apply for membership. I think this is a good step, because expansion is always positively perceived; this will clearly increase the influence of BRICS in the world.”
She continued, “During the 14th BRICS leaders’ summit virtually held on June 23-24, China, Russia and India deliberated the three countries’ interest in joining the group.” (There has been no official statement on the outcome of the deliberations.)
The BRICS group was formed by Brazil, Russia, India and China in 2006. South Africa joined it in 2010. According to a July 17 report by Al-Arabiya, it is an independent international organization that works to encourage trade, political and cultural cooperation among member states.
