Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has stated that Malaysia has submitted a request to Russia to join the BRICS group. Ibrahim mentioned in a statement from his office that "Malaysia sent a letter to Russia, as the chair of the BRICS group, containing a request to join the organization, and also expressed its readiness to participate as a member state or strategic partner." He noted that "Malaysia's desire to join BRICS was the main topic of his conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who arrived in Kuala Lumpur yesterday."
In June, Ibrahim confirmed to Brazilian President Luiz Lula da Silva Malaysia's intention to join BRICS. Russia assumed the presidency of the BRICS group this year on January 1st, coinciding with the historic expansion of the organization. In addition to Russia, Brazil, India, China, and South Africa, BRICS now includes Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia. Russia's presidency is themed around promoting multilateralism for fair global development and security. The BRICS summit is scheduled to be held in October in Kazan.
