Speaking in an interview with Indian news agency ANI, Sri Lanka’s top diplomat said that BRICS has become “a good organization.” Ali Sabry stressed that Sri Lanka would consult India first when it formally applied to join BRICS.

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“We are looking forward to BRICS. Also, I think the cabinet has appointed a sub-committee to look into this issue and make recommendations to us,” the Sri Lankan foreign minister said.

Sri Lanka has received an invitation from Russia to attend the BRICS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting this year, which is seen as an opportunity for the South Asian nation to seriously consider joining the group.

Russia will assume the BRICS Presidency from January 1, 2024. BRIC is an intergovernmental organization comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, along with four new members: Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The four new countries join BRICS as full members, a strong sign of the association's growing power and role in international affairs.