Belarus considers joining the BRICS format, Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Aleinik said at a meeting of the collegium of the ministry, BelTA has learned.

Sergei Aleinik gave a positive assessment of the beginning of Belarus' accession to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. According to him, the earliest registration of the full-fledged membership in this organization is another crucial task this year.

“We shouldn’t ignore other relatively new formats. I mean active work as part of the preparation for the upcoming Russia-Africa Forum and considering joining the format of BRICS [the interstate organization of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa],” Sergei Aleinik noted.