Belarus will participate in a BRICS summit for the first time, said the spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus, Anatoli Glaz.

Minsk.- The BelTA news agency reported that Foreign Minister Sergei Aleinik will represent Belarus in the summit, to take place in Johannesburg, South Africa, between August 22nd and 24th.

Nearly twenty countries have declared officially their intention of joining the BRICS, which will be a topic to be analyzed during the event, said the Minister of Foreign Affairs of South Africa, Naledi Pandor.

Last May, Belarus, according to its Foreign Ministry, requested to join the group.

The BRICS, which South Africa currently presides over, accounts for more than 20% of the global GDP and 42% of the world’s population. (PL)