Almost 50 countries have expressed their "theoretical" interest in joining BRICS, and 17 have already filed formal applications, Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry head Sergey Katyrin told Sputnik on Monday.
"There are another 17 applications from countries wanting to join BRICS. As for theoretical wishes, expressed orally or in some other form but not yet confirmed by the heads of state — there are nearly 50 of them in total," Katyrin, who is also the chair of the Russian section of the BRICS Business Council, said.
The format in which BRICS operates is not comparable to that of the G7 or any other western association, the official added.
"In contrast to them, we do not have any moral lectures or condemnations in any of our declarations or final documents. All our work is aimed strictly at deepening cooperation. We do not convene to ally against anyone, but just to be allies, to give each other opportunities for accelerated development," Katyrin said.
BRICS' current agenda includes the use of national currencies in global trade and in transactions among the bloc's member states, the official said. The implementation of this initiative by India and China is already showing good results, he added.