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Belarus Joins BRICS as an Official Partner Country

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Maryna_kulakova
Maryna Kulakova
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Belarus Joins BRICS as an Official Partner Country
Russian leader Vladimir Putin (L) and Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko (R) pose for a joint photo during their meeting at the Palace of Independence on May 24, 2024 in Minsk, Belarus. (Source: Getty Images)

Belarus has officially joined BRICS  as a partner country, according to an announcement on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website.

The ministry reported that on November 5, Belarus’s leader Alexander Lukashenko signed a letter to Russian leader Vladimir Putin, confirming Belarus’s intent to join BRICS as a partner.

This partner status grants Belarus ongoing participation in special BRICS summit sessions and foreign ministers' meetings. Additionally, partners may be invited to other high-level events, such as trade discussions, national security meetings, and parliamentary forums. Partners are also allowed to endorse BRICS’ final statements.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus emphasized that an official response to the invitation is a mandatory step in the process established by member states to attain partner status. From this point forward, Belarus is officially recognized as a BRICS partner.

Previously in October, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has criticized UN Secretary-General António Guterres's visit to the BRICS  summit in Kazan, Russia.

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Brazil, Russia, India, and China are the founding members of BRICS (an acronym for Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa). In addition to geopolitics, the group focuses on economic cooperation, increasing multilateral trade, and development.