South Africa's foreign minister has said that BRICS leaders have agreed on its expansion and they are going to publish their official announcement on this Thursday.

Afghan Voice Agency (AVA): International media reported that the leaders of the developing countries (BRICS) agreed to the expansion of this group of large emerging economies and considered the conditions for entering this forum.
 
AFP, quoting officials in South Africa, reported on Wednesday night, August 23 that the request for the expansion of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) was on the agenda of the three-day meeting of its leaders in Johannesburg.
 
Nearly 22 countries have officially applied to join BRICS, which accounts for 40 percent of the world's population and a quarter of the global economy.
 
South Africa's Foreign Minister Naldi Pandour said that BRICS leaders have agreed on its expansion and are expected to make an official announcement on Thursday, August 24.
 
"We have adopted a document that provides guidelines, principles and processes to countries that want to join BRICS, and this is very positive," Pandora added to state-run Ubuntu Radio.
 
Which countries will be the new BRICS members?
The Brazilian news portal UOL, citing the draft of the final document of the BRICS summit, writes that Argentina, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates will become new members of this international organization.
 
According to Sputnik, this publication notes that the new participating countries were selected based on geographical location.
 
The article published in this publication states: "BRICS will announce the expansion of this organization by joining five more countries... The final list of countries includes: Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Iran, United Arab Emirates, and Egypt".
 
According to this portal, to maintain the geographical balance, another African country may be included in this list.
 
China, America's economic rival, is looking for the rapid growth of BRICS, but other countries, including India, are against it.
 
Chinese President Xi Jinping has said that the expansion of this power group will lead the world towards more just governance.
 
"We are coming together at a time when the world is undergoing major changes, divisions and regroupings," noted Xi, whose country accounts for about 70 percent of the total BRICS GDP.
 
BRICS brings together the world's major developing economies, including Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. A number of other countries, including Algeria, Argentina, Egypt, Iran, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and several others, have expressed their desire to join this group. South Africa, which assumed the presidency of BRICS in January, is currently hosting the 15th BRICS summit.
 
The BRICS summit with the presence of the leaders of China, India, Brazil and South Africa will be held in Johannesburg from August 22 to 24, and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will represent Russia in it. Russian President Vladimir Putin participates in this meeting through video conference.
 
BRICS unites Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, but recently 23 countries have expressed interest in joining the bloc, including Argentina, Iran, Algeria, Tunisia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.