The BRICS Summit is just weeks away, where a potential new currency and expansion is on the menu for discussion. Multiple countries worldwide have already filed applications to join the BRICS Bloc, with representatives of some of these nations expected to attend the summit as well. There are multiple nations who are favorites to join the bloc at the summit, and Iran may be near the top of the list, according to Russia.
Sergei Ryabkov, the deputy foreign minister of Russia, has said that the time will come for Iran to become a member of the BRICS group of emerging countries. He says that while there isn’t a timetable set for Iran to join the bloc, efforts are already underway, according to IRNA.
Are Russia and Iran already in BRICS Talks?
Ryabkov also met with his Iranian counterpart, Ali Bagheri Kani, earlier this week. In their meeting in Tehran on Monday, Ryabkov and Bagheri Kani discussed a broad range of issues of mutual interests. These include bilateral ties, the latest developments in regional and international affairs, and the sanctions removal talks, according to the Iranian foreign ministry.
Also Read: BRICS Makes Official Announcement on France Attending the Summit
“We talked about issues related to BRICS because we obviously came to the conclusion that Iran is one of the strong candidates to become a full member of BRICS,” Ryabkov noted.
The Iranian foreign ministry held a conference Tuesday to discuss cooperation between BRICS and Iran. The meeting was dubbed “Iran and BRICS: Prospects for Partnership and Cooperation.” Ryabkov was also in attendance at this conference.
Also Read: South Africa Names 23 BRICS Expansion Candidates
Amir Abdollahian, minister of foreign affairs of Iran, has said that the partnership between Iran and BRICS has practically begun. Iran is helping to connect India to Russia, and China to the rest of West Asia. “Iran will be an added value to BRICS members in terms of energy and sustainable energy security,” Abdollahian says. With favor from Russia, Iran may be the top candidate to join BRICS upon expansion.