(MENAFN)
Vietnam has become the tenth partner country of BRICS, marking an important milestone in the group’s ongoing expansion, according to Brazil’s foreign ministry on Saturday.

Founded in 2009 by Brazil, Russia, India, and China, with South Africa joining in 2010, BRICS has since grown to include Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Iran. The bloc now represents about 40% of the world’s GDP by purchasing power parity, exceeding the combined economic strength of the G7, noted Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Brazil’s Foreign Ministry highlighted Vietnam’s nearly 100 million population and its dynamic, globally connected economy, calling it a key player in Asia. The ministry also said Vietnam shares BRICS’ commitment to fostering a more inclusive and representative global order.

Vietnam joins nine other partner countries—Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, and Uzbekistan. As a partner, Vietnam gains access to important economic programs but does not hold formal voting rights.

In June, Russian President Vladimir Putin praised BRICS for its “dictate-free” cooperation and reiterated Moscow’s goal to build a system based on equality and mutual benefit. Last year, Putin noted that 34 countries had shown interest in joining or cooperating with BRICS in some capacity.

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