Formal applications to join the BRICS grouping have been submitted by 23 countries, South African Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Naledi Pandor said.
"We have had formal expressions of interest from the leaders of 23 countries in joining BRICS, and many more informal approaches about the possibilities of BRICS membership," Pandor said.
The South African minister listed the following countries among those that have officially applied to join the bloc, including six African states: Algeria, Argentina, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Egypt, Ethiopia, Honduras, Indonesia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Morocco, Nigeria, the State of Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Thailand, the UAE, Venezuela and Vietnam.
Pandor added that the issue of BRICS expansion will be discussed at the upcoming leaders' summit later this month in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The diplomat attributed the growing interest of the Global South countries in BRICS membership to the current geopolitical situation in the world.
