KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 27 — Malaysia meets the criteria to become a full member of the BRICS bloc, said Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk.
BRICS refers to a group of emerging economies that originally comprised Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
He said BRICS members have been discussing Malaysia’s intention to join the group and believe Putrajaya’s policies and outlook are well aligned with BRICS’ core values and objectives.
“BRICS is a group of countries that builds relationships based on mutual respect, and it respects the principle of consensus. At the moment, nobody is imposing anything on anybody within BRICS.
“BRICS countries exchange views on global issues and views on common approaches to strategic issues that shape our modern world. In that sense, of course, Malaysia fits that criteria quite well,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the ongoing 47th Asean Summit and Related Summits at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre here.
Earlier, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva voiced strong support for Malaysia’s aspiration to become a BRICS member, emphasising that it is a natural partner with shared values and growing economic potential.
On October 24, 2024, Malaysia was recognised as one of 13 nations officially added to BRICS — a bloc that collectively accounts for one-fifth of global trade — as a partner country.
Indonesia is the first and only Asean member to have attained BRICS membership. Regional neighbours such as Thailand and Vietnam, have yet to accede.
Meanwhile, Overchuk reaffirmed Russia’s commitment to strengthening trade ties with Malaysia and exploring collaboration in the energy sector.
He said the matter was discussed during his bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
“This year, our trade with Malaysia is growing quite well after a small decline last year. We’ve discussed collaboration in the energy sectors. We have also introduced our initiatives in developing logistics supply chains between the north and the south of Eurasia,” Overchuk added.
