Maqetuka told Sputnik news agency, six of them have officially applied to join the bloc.

The diplomat added that among the applicants are two African nations, Algeria and Egypt, while Iran, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates have also formalized their desire to join the group.

Maqetuka also emphasized that all Brics members welcome possible newcomers, and recalled that South Africa joined the group in 2010, and since then the bloc has not expanded.

The idea of incorporating new members was raised by China last May and after that, several countries, including Argentina, have shown their willingness to join the association.

The Brics group is an informal intergovernmental economic-trade association of five rapidly developing countries, which aims to develop dialogue and multilateral cooperation.

The BRICS countries are poised to lead the eradication of global hunger and poverty by 2030. They account for 40% of the world’s population, 30% of the global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and produce more than a third of the world’s cereal production.

mh/mem/gfa.