Egyptian President Abdelfattah Al-Sisi on Thursday appreciated the BRICS group of nations for inviting his country, among others, to become member states.

Al-Sisi thanked, in a presidential press statement, the bloc for its confidence in Egypt, which has close relationships with all member states, saying he looks forward to working with the group in the coming period.

He added that this comes in the context of the bloc’s goals of promoting economic cooperation and making the southern countries’ voice heard in terms of various issues and development challenges.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Thursday that the BRICS group of nations had decided to invite six countries – Argentina, Egypt, Iran, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates – to become new members of the bloc.

Established in 2006 as an economic bloc, the BRICS comprises five member states: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

Source: Kuwait News Agency