BRICS has not received any refusals from the countries that were offered to become partners of the association, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said in an interview with Russian media.
"As of today, the list is not closed, there have been no refusals, but the chairmanship does not expect to publish the list before the end of the year," the deputy minister said in response to a related question.
The BRICS partner status denotes an alternative to full membership, allowing participating nations to engage with BRICS but without voting rights. Partner status will be "as close to membership as possible," Ryabkov hinted earlier this year.
The 2024 Kazan BRICS Summit declaration endorsed the partner country category, emphasizing that "extending the BRICS partnership with emerging economies and developing countries will further contribute to strengthening the spirit of solidarity and true international cooperation for the benefit of all."