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Back in May, Belarus sent membership requests to leaders of the BRICS group of nations, bringing together Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, the press service of the Belarusian Foreign Ministry said, Azernews reports, citing TASS.

"In May 2023, official requests by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko were sent to the heads of the BRICS member states about our country’s accession to this group. This move came as an absolutely logical step in the context of putting into practice the Belarusian vision of broadening multilateral cooperation with traditional partners and friendly countries," the statement says.

The ministry said that by now, more than 25 countries have applied to join BRICS, and the number is steadily growing.

"Taking objective factors into account, it would be fair to say that the global importance and clout of BRICS will keep growing consistently. That is why Belarus is not alone in its determination to obtain membership in the organization. Currently, lively discussions are under way within BRICS to determine the criteria for membership or other formats of cooperation within its framework, such as BRICS Friends and BRICS Partner Nations," the ministry added.

"Foreign ministers are expected to submit their recommendations to BRICS leaders for consideration during the August 2023 summit. We count on further progressive development of our cooperation with BRICS in various formats possible," the Belarusian Foreign Ministry said.

The press service of the Belarusian Foreign Ministry said in early July that the country had sent a note to Brazil to indicate its determination to become a BRICS member.

Belarusian Foreign Minister Sergey Aleynik said in late January that Moscow expressed its readiness to support Minsk if it wants to join the organization.

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