Russia says BRICS have already started working on enlargement of the alliance

The countries of the BRICS group (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) have begun work to expand the alliance of emerging countries, after Argentina and 14 other states showed interest in joining the organisation, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Riabkov said on Monday.

"We have started that work, we should consider the criteria by which new members can be invited, we should analyse the methodology for an appropriate approach to this issue," he said on Russian state television.

He indicated that some 15 countries have already expressed their desire to join the BRICS. Meanwhile, Argentina has received strong support from China and Russia to join the BRICS.

According to the Russian daily Izvestia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey are also planning to join the alliance.

Riyabkov noted that this interest 'is not only a reflection of the authority of BRICS as an international platform, but also of the understanding on the part of these countries that BRICS offers a real alternative to the unipolar world, a real and viable model of cooperation, where there are no leaders and followers, where there are no attempts to impose certain solutions'.