TEHRAN, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- Iran and Russia on Wednesday exchanged views on the BRICS activities in different areas and the group's expansion and development in the future.
The issues were discussed in a meeting in the Iranian capital Tehran, between Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic Diplomacy Mehdi Safari and visiting Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov, according to a statement published on the Iranian Foreign Ministry's website.
The two sides discussed BRICS activities in the fields of economy and trade, energy, agriculture, science and technology, environment, sports and culture, among others, the statement said.
Safari said Iran is determined to take an active role in BRICS' broad and diverse activities, assuring that his ministry would do its utmost to "play an effective and constructive role in BRICS."
Ryabkov, for his part, congratulated Iran on its recent admission to the group, elaborating on the priorities of Russia's BRICS chairmanship in 2024.
BRICS is a group of emerging economies that are currently membered by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
In August, it was announced at the 15th BRICS Summit in South Africa that six countries, including Iran, Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, had been invited to join the bloc, and their membership would take effect on Jan. 1, 2024. ■
