BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) has launched the expansion process for becoming one of the pillars of a new, more just polycentric world order, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an article for South Africa’s Ubuntu Magazine, Azernews reports, citing TASS.

"We are consistently working to develop the BRICS interaction with the countries representing the World Majority. In particular, one of the priorities of the South African Chairmanship is strengthening cooperation with African countries. We fully share this approach," he said.

"Our grouping has many like-minded countries around the world. BRICS is seen as a positive force that can strengthen the solidarity of the Global South and Global East and become one of the pillars of a new, more just polycentric world order. The five countries stand ready to respond to this request. That is why we launched the expansion process," Lavrov stressed.

"It is symbolic that it has gained such momentum in the year of South Africa's Chairmanship, a country that has joined BRICS as a result of a consensus-based political decision. I am convinced that the XV Summit will be another milestone of BRICS strategic partnership and will determine the key priorities for the coming years," he added.

Russia highly appreciates the efforts of the South African Chairmanship, including the intensified work to improve the entire constellation of BRICS mechanisms to deepen BRICS dialogue with other countries, the minister noted.

The BRICS summit will be held on August 22-24 in Johannesburg under the presidency of South Africa. According to the country’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor, the BRICS leaders will discuss the issue of the organization's expansion at the summit. A diplomatic source in South Africa told TASS earlier that the republic had invited more than 60 countries for discussions as part of the upcoming summit.

Earlier reports said that over 60 countries have submitted formal applications to join the group.