Mali hopes to apply for BRICS membership in near future - Foreign Minister

Mali hopes to apply for BRICS membership in ‘near future’ - Foreign Minister Mali is interested in joining the BRICS group of nations and hopes to apply for membership soon along with other Sahel countries, including Burkina Faso and Niger, Malian Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Abdoulaye Diop told Sputnik. “Mali is interested. Of course, we have not reached the point to put up an application, but that conversation is going on with our Russian friends but also with some other BRICS members,“ Diop said in an interview on the margins of the UN General Assembly. “I do hope that in the near future our country collectively with the Confederation of the Sahel States, would approach BRICS for membership.“ BRICS represents a model of multilateralism and could make Mali’s voice better heard in the international arena, the minister said. The alliance could also provide additional economic opportunities to the country, like using national currencies in trade and re... Source: Sputnik International