Russian Ambassador to Vietnam Gennady Stepanovich Bezdetko remarked that Russia advocates Vietnam’s possible engagement in BRICS, a group of major emerging economies, while addressing an information sharing session in Hanoi on Wednesday.

Bezdetko made the statement in response to questions regarding Russia’s stance on Vietnam joining the bloc. 

He said that he would be delighted if Vietnam opted to join BRICS.

The Russian diplomat added that BRICS is increasingly asserting its role in the world and that BRICS members have played crucial roles in promoting global financial and economic growth.

The ambassador also affirmed that BRICS is a united bloc on a journey of expansion and development, making it appealing to many countries around the globe.

According to Bezdetko, BRICS does not impose stringent regulations on its member countries and generally advocates membership expansion.

At a regular press conference on May 9, the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs discussed the possibility of Vietnam joining BRICS this year.

Spokeswoman for the ministry Pham Thu Hang said that as a responsible and active member of the international community, and following the policy of multilateralization and diversification of foreign relations, independence, and self-reliance, Vietnam is prepared to take part in and actively contribute to global and regional multilateral mechanisms, organizations, and forums.

Like many other countries, Vietnam is paying attention to membership expansion within the bloc, Hang said.

Originally an acronym coined by Goldman Sachs chief economist Jim O'Neill in 2001, BRICS was founded as an informal four-nation club comprising Brazil, Russia, China, and India in 2009. 

It added South Africa a year later, according to Reuters.

On January 1 this year, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates formally joined the bloc.

Following the membership expansion, the group now accounts for some 37 percent of the global GDP and represents 46 percent of the world’s population.

Russia is currently the rotating chair of BRICS and Moscow is planning to host more than 200 events during its one-year chairmanship, including the annual BRICS summit scheduled to take place in October in Kazan, the capital city of Russia’s Tatarstan.

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