Lavrov on Kazakhstan's refusal to join BRICS: approach needs to be clarified

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov commented on Kazakhstan's refusal to join BRICS. According to him, the situation requires clarification.

"This approach needs to be clarified," Sergei Lavrov said.

Speaking in an interview with the Argumenty i Fakty newspaper, the diplomat noted that Kazakhstan is a member of several associations including the OSCE, CIS, CSTO and the SCO, as well as actively participates the Organisation of Turkic States. However, none of this prevents Kazakhstan from participating in the UN.

"What makes BRICS and other World Majority or Global East associations that do not include Western countries stand out, is that they are not created for the purpose of struggling or fighting with anyone. They are established to collectively benefit from their competitive advantages such as geographical location, shared history, cultural and humanitarian proximity, and coherence of economic systems, as is the case of the former Soviet republics," Sergei Lavrov said.

Earlier, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said that Kazakhstan would refrain from applying for membership in BRICS for the time being