Vietnam wishes to become BRICS partner - Russian deputy FM

MOSCOW. Dec 4 (Interfax) - Vietnam wishes to become a BRICS partner, while Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand have accepted similar invitations earlier, the newspaper Izvestia said on Wednesday, citing Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko.

"All these countries, practically half of members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, have expressed their wish to join BRICS as partners. [...] So did Vietnam," Rudenko told Izvestia.

He said that the status of BRICS partners will be officially granted on January 1, 2025.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said earlier that Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand had become BRICS partners.