"We have already explained our policy and made our decision. We will start formal proceedings soon," Ibrahin said in an interview with the founder of Chinese news outlet Guancha, Eric Xun Li, also known as Li Shimo, when asked about when Malaysia was planning to join.
BRICS was established in 2009 as a cooperation platform for the largest emerging economies, initially uniting Brazil, Russia, India, and China. South Africa joined the group in 2010. Russia assumed the bloc's rotating presidency on January 1. On the same day, BRICS expanded its membership to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the UAE.