The possible BRICS expansion in the future will take place through the establishment of certain criteria for partner states, Russian Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov said.
"The association has agreed on important criteria for a partner state through which BRICS can expand further," Ushakov said.
According to him, the BRICS leaders have given the green light to a 13-member format. The Kremlin aid didn't disclose the names of potential new members "because it will be necessary to discuss with them how ready they are for full-fledged or any other BRICS membership."
The 16th BRICS Summit is being held in Kazan on October 22-24.
