Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia Lists Criteria for BRICS Partner States

Sergey Ryabkov, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia, listed the criteria for BRICS partner states, which include not participating in unilateral sanctions against member states, maintaining good neighborly relations with other countries, and being a member of the United Nations (UN).

"[...] A country must maintain good neighborly relations with others, and it should be part of international organizations, including the UN. I would like to make a note here that what may appear to be the most obvious statement actually carries significant political and diplomatic meaning and message. For instance, being part of the UN in the form of an internationally unrecognized territory, or in any other manner whereby a territory cannot become a full-fledged member of the UN, is not allowed according to these criteria," he said during a briefing at the press center of the Rossiya Segodnya media group, Sputnik’s parent company.

Among other criteria is adherence to the principles of BRICS activities, particularly a consensus-based approach to decision-making, the deputy minister noted.

"There is the criterion we have mentioned repeatedly before Kazan as well, namely not participating in unilateral illegitimate sanctions against any of the BRICS member states. As for European countries: if we are talking about states that are part of the EU and NATO, they do not meet the criterion of non-application of unilateral sanctions," Ryabkov noted.

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The bloc is currently in the phase of thoroughly reviewing and evaluating all applications and potential inquiries related to this issue, and they will reach out to interested countries, according to the official.

"[...] The task now falls to foreign policy department employees to discuss with potential partners whether they are willing to agree to this, whether they accept such a framing of the issue. We cannot abstractly discuss such important matters without having a clear understanding of how potential partners themselves perceive the developing situation," he said.

Then, according to him, after the negotiations are completed, a list will be formulated that "will reflect the composition of a new category of partners, thus gaining the opportunity to get closer to BRICS and participate in the work of various mechanisms."

BRICS is an interstate association created in 2006. As of January 1, 2024, Russia has taken on the presidency of BRICS. The year began with the joining of new members to the association — in addition to Russia, Brazil, India, China, and South Africa, it now includes Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia.

Russia’s chairmanship in BRICS is conducted under the motto of strengthening multilateralism for fair global development and security. In its presidency, Russia is organizing more than 200 political, economic, and social events.