Will not rush expansion of BRICS: Russian FM Lavrov, says need to streamline forum's work

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Friday said BRICS will not rush further expansion at the current stage, stressing the need to streamline the grouping's work following its recent enlargement. Speaking at a press conference in India after the BRICS Foreign Affairs Meeting, Lavrov said there continues to be strong international interest in joining the bloc, which he described as "a model of the future multipolar world order".

"Some countries show interest, and there is also an understanding that BRICS is a model of the future multipolar world order," Lavrov said. He emphasised that BRICS was not aimed at isolating any part of the international community and instead sought inclusive dialogue between countries.

"No one is trying to shut us off from the global minority, from the rest of the world," he said, adding that BRICS seeks "business-like fair conversations" focused on balancing the interests of both the "global majority and global minority." Lavrov further said the grouping remained focused on issues related to the global economy, finance, and trade, noting that interest in BRICS had remained strong despite criticism from the United States.

"We have not seen any reduction in the interest toward BRICS even after the US said that the BRICS were the main enemy of progress," Lavrov said. According to him, several countries have expressed interest either in becoming full-fledged members or partner countries within the bloc. However, Lavrov clarified that BRICS members have agreed not to move too quickly on further expansion following the grouping's recent growth.

"There are countries that would like to become its members, and there are countries that would like to become its partners," he said. "At the current stage, we will not rush the expansion of BRICS because a couple of years ago, BRICS doubled the number of its members, and now we need to streamline our work within this new format, the expanded format," Lavrov added.

The remarks come as BRICS continues to expand its global outreach and positioning amid evolving geopolitical and economic alignments worldwide. (ANI)

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