Moscow

Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Egypt plan to join BRICS, and their potential membership bids could be discussed and answered at next year's summit in South Africa.

This was disclosed by the BRICS International Forum President Purnima Anand on Thursday.

The BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) account for over 40 per cent of the global population and nearly a quarter of the world's GDP.

The bloc's stated purpose includes promoting peace, security, development, and cooperation globally, and contributing to the development of humanity.

The issue of expansion was raised during this year's BRICS summit held in Beijing in June.

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The news of the three nations' plans to join the BRICS comes after Iran and Argentina officially applied for membership in late June.