On the subject, Ramaphosa revealed that foreign ministers have been tasked with further developing the BRICS partner country model and a list of possible new members to be reported on the next Summit.

The South African president announced some of the main results of the 15th Summit, which concludes today, and highlighted that the five member states (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) have reached an agreement on the guiding principles, standards, criteria and procedures of the BRICS expansion process. “We have reached consensus on the first phase of this expansion process, and additional phases will follow.”

Expectations that the economic partnership will deliver “tangible benefits to our communities and provide viable solutions to common challenges facing the global South” were also addressed.

The Johannesburg II Declaration demonstrates “the shared values and common interests that underlie our mutually beneficial cooperation as the five BRICS countries,” the South African president said.

“At the 15th Summit, the group was ratified as an equal association of countries that have different points of view, but share a vision of a better world,” he said.

“Through this Summit, the BRICS have embarked on a new chapter in their effort to build a just world, a world that is also inclusive and prosperous,” he concluded.

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