PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia's selection as one of the partner countries in BRICS opens up opportunities to enhance trade and bilateral relations with nations within the bloc.
Government spokesman and Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said the country welcomes BRICS' recognition of Malaysia as one of its official partner nations.
"We haven't discussed this in detail (in the cabinet meeting). This is preliminary information and has not yet been deeply deliberated upon.
"However, we certainly welcome Malaysia's acceptance as one of the partner countries within the BRICS framework," he said at his weekly post-cabinet press conference.
Yesterday, it was reported that Malaysia had been recognised as one of 13 nations officially added to BRICS as a partner country.
According to an update from @BRICSInfo on X, the bloc officially added 13 new nations to the alliance as partner countries, though not yet as full members.
Apart from Malaysia, the other 12 nations were Algeria, Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.
Previously on July 28, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim confirmed that Malaysia had applied to Russia to join the BRICS intergovernmental organisation.
Russia currently chairs the bloc, which also includes Brazil, India, China and South Africa.
On June 18, Anwar had confirmed Malaysia's intention to join BRICS during a discussion with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
BRICS, originally comprising Brazil, Russia, India, and China, was established in 2009 as a cooperation platform for emerging economies, with South Africa joining in 2010.
The bloc has since expanded to include Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates.