MOSCOW, June 18. /TASS/. The decision to establish the category of BRICS partner states, made during Russia’s presidency, has proved worthwhile, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov, who serves as Moscow’s BRICS sherpa, said in an interview with the TASS Analytical Center.
"Definitely," he said in response to a question. "Here’s fresh news: Vietnam has become a partner state," Ryabkov pointed out.
According to him, different levels of participation in the group’s activities don’t hinder cooperation but "on the contrary, help it." "This is BRICS’ response to a request for practical cooperation in various fields and at various levels, which is coming from a large group of countries," Ryabkov noted. "We cannot provide membership to all of them at once; we need a break. The number of members has already reached ten," he added.
However, the senior Russian diplomat pointed out that the main difference between a full member and a partner state was that "partners don’t participate in decision-making." "That said, they don’t develop or adopt documents. They can and will work in specific areas, on projects and initiatives. They are invited to their sessions and expanded sessions, both at the highest and ministerial level," Ryabkov explained. "Basically, it’s a kind of interim status between guests and full members," he said.
