Azerbaijan says it applied for membership into BRICS economic bloc

By Ruslan Rehimov

BAKU, Azerbaijan (AA) - Azerbaijan said on Tuesday that it has applied for membership into the BRICS bloc of emerging economies.

"Azerbaijan has officially applied to become a member of BRICS," Foreign Ministry spokesman Aykhan Hajizada told Anadolu in an interview.

Azerbaijan's interest in joining BRICS was stated in a joint declaration with China on establishing a strategic partnership between the two countries, which was signed during a Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Astana early last month.

It stated Azerbaijan's desire to join BRICS and indicated that China welcomed this request.

A joint declaration adopted during Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent visit to Azerbaijan on Aug. 18-19 also declared Moscow's support for Baku's membership.

BRICS, which was formed in 2006, initially included Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. In January, the economic bloc welcomed Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the UAE as full members.

* Writing by Burc Eruygur in Istanbul.