"Yes, of course, we still want to join (BRICS)... If we are accepted tomorrow, we will join tomorrow," Anwar Ibrahim told the agency on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit.
The day before, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk told reporters on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit in Kuala Lumpur that Malaysia meets BRICS criteria, which include mutual respect and consensus.
"BRICS is an association of sovereign states that build relationships based on mutual respect and the principle of consensus. No one imposes anything on anyone. Countries exchange opinions on global issues and develop common approaches to strategic topics shaping the modern world. In this sense, Malaysia certainly meets the BRICS criteria," Overchuk noted, answering a question about whether he considers Malaysia's future accession to the BRICS alliance possible.