In a statement, Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed thanked Russia, as well as South Africa, China and India, for inviting his country in BRICS.
"This is one of the most extraordinary achievements in history of diplomatic relations ever made," he said.
According to him, "this really helps Ethiopian people and the country".
"Since Ethiopian GDP growth is extremely high these days, we are pleased to be part of BRICS to increase the voice of our economic competitiveness," Abiy Ahmed pointed out.
The prime minister noted that BRICS is getting to be "one of the most popular voices all over the world these days."
Ethiopia is one of the two African countries (along with Egypt) officially invited to join BRICS from January 1, 2024. The decision was made during the 2023 BRICS Summit in Johannesburg.
Other countries invited to join the group are Argentina, Iran, the UAE and Saudi Arabia. According to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, this is the first stage of several stages of the expansion of BRICS, which has recently drawn the interest of numerous countries all over the Global South.