MOSCOW, Sep. 8 (TASS) - Turkey is eyeing BRICS with great interest, the head of the Department of Economic Cooperation at the Russian Foreign Ministry Dmitry Birichevsky said in an interview to TV BRICS.

"Indonesia is showing great interest in partnership with BRICS, although it has not joint yet. And, as far as we know, Turkey is eyeing BRICS with great interest," he said.

In his words, the expansion of BRICS came as a sensation that "made the group’s common voice far louder."

"BRICS [membership] does not mean that all members must share the same views and opinions," the diplomat said. "Its members are totally equal and have to take each other’s interests and attitudes into account. I’m sure that the extended version of BRICS will retain this approach."

In his opinion, members of the enlarged group are likely to stand in solidarity while promoting the organization’s interests in G20, the United Nations and other platforms, and their cooperation will become "a role model for others."

The 15th BRICS summit was held in Johannesburg in South Africa under South Africa’s chairmanship on August 22-24 and was a major meeting of the heads of state and governments of the global south in recent years. Sources told the Indian Business Standard newspaper that Indonesia could have been accepted. However, later it was reported that the participants in the summit decided to invite the Argentine Republic, the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to become full members of BRICS from 1 January 2024. They also tasked their foreign ministers to further develop the BRICS partner country model, compile a list of prospective partner countries and report by the next summit that will be held in the Russian city of Kazan.