Western countries don’t have a chance of joining BRICS as long as they pursue hostile policies against any of its members, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Friday.

Speaking at a press conference following the BRICS summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, Ryabkov recalled that one of the key conditions for admittance to the group is “non-application of illegal sanctions against any of the members of the association.”

He noted that all six countries that were invited to join BRICS at the meeting – Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates – fully comply with this requirement.
Meanwhile, Western states “are following exactly the opposite course, so there is no question of inviting anyone from this group not only to join BRICS, but even to participate in its events,” Ryabkov stressed, vowing to stick to this line.