Nineteen countries have expressed interest in joining the BRICS group of nations as it prepares to hold an annual summit in South Africa, said Anil Sooklal, South Africa’s ambassador to the group.
The bloc of emerging markets, which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, will meet in Cape Town on June 2-3 to discuss its enlargement, he said.
“What will be discussed is the expansion of BRICS and the modalities of how this will happen,” Sooklal said. “Thirteen countries have formally asked to join and another six have asked informally. We are getting applications to join every day.”
The foreign ministers from the five member states have all confirmed they will attend the discussions in June, Sooklal added.
Since its formation as the BRIC in 2006, the group has accepted only one new member, South Africa, in 2010. Saudi Arabia and Iran are among the countries that have formally asked to join.
