Russia favors the enlargement of the BRICS association (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) but suggests defining procedures and criteria for future candidates first, Russian Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov told a press briefing on Monday.
"In principle, we look positively at the issue of the association’s potential enlargement, although we understand that it is necessary to approach this issue very carefully," Ushakov said.
"What do we propose? Frist of all, we propose defining the procedures and requirements for potential candidates for joining BRICS," the Kremlin aide said, adding that, in the first place, it was necessary to find some formats that would make it possible at the initial stage to cooperate with the association in the capacity of observers.
As the Kremlin aide stressed, "it is important to work out these rules of the potential enlargement and after that consider specific candidates."Moscow has its ideas about the candidate states that should be admitted to the organization in the first place, he added.
"But this depends not only on Russia but also on our partners," Ushakov emphasized.