MOSCOW, November 15. /TASS/. Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia have become BRICS partner countries, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Pankin said at a joint meeting of APEC foreign and trade ministers.

“The BRICS summit in Kazan demonstrated the desire of the world majority to establish a just world order, reform global institutions and build fair economic ties,” he said in a speech published on the website Russian Foreign Ministry Internet. “A strong set of agreements has been reached in the areas of trade, investment, artificial intelligence, energy, climate and logistics. Our APEC colleagues – Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand – have become partners of the group.”

After the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the list of partner countries had been agreed. Their names were not all released at the time. According to the president, countries will first receive invitations and, if they respond positively, their names will be announced.

The BRICS group was founded in 2006 by Brazil, Russia, India and China, and South Africa joined in 2011. On January 1, 2024, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates also became members.