Malaysia has formally submitted its application to join BRICS, the bloc originally formed by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, the country’s Foreign Ministry confirmed on Monday, without giving a date.
The confirmation was made this Monday to the news agency EFE, which said that the Malaysian ministry did not say whether any country had already expressed support, nor did it announce a date for the official registration of the country’s request, which would be the first in the south-east Asia to join the group.
The confirmation came after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov visited Malaysia on Sunday, where he met with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
The head of the executive branch reported on the social network Facebook that, among other things, he discussed with the head of the Russian diplomat the entry of his country into BRICS.
Malaysia has already expressed interest in joining BRICS, which is led by China and accounts for about 35% of global GDP.
Thailand has also signalled its interest in formalising its membership bid at the group’s annual summit in Russia in October, while the region’s largest economy, Indonesia, has expressed a more cautious interest, as has Vietnam.
The bloc originally included Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, but this year it was joined by Saudi Arabia, Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates.
The Malaysian Prime Minister has already justified his candidacy for BRICS in light of the current “multipolar” rather than “unipolar” order, which “favors balance in the world.”