MOSCOW, July 10. /TASS/. The number of BRICS partner countries will expand, and the members of the association will only benefit from cooperation with them, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said at a press conference.
"We are confident that the countries included in the first circle of partners will bring their own special elements of added value to BRICS cooperation," the deputy minister said. "I'm sure others will follow them in the future."
Currently, Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Vietnam are cooperating with the association as partners.
Ryabkov is adamant that Russia's closest neighbors "possess the competencies, expertise, skills, and creative approach to advance the BRICS cause in all matters of practical cooperation: in the economy, in transport, and in the financial sector."
"We have been expecting their contribution effectively since the first months of joining our expanded circle of partnership, and this is already happening, so we are very encouraged," he said. "We will only benefit from this."
