KUALA LUMPUR (July 9): Malaysia is likely to be admitted into BRICS as a 'partner country' soon, given the country’s strong relationship with other members of the bloc, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said on Tuesday.

Full membership in BRICS, a group led by Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, would take some time, Anwar told the Dewan Rakyat during the prime minister's question time. There is, however, a possibility for Malaysia to first become a partner country of BRICS before full participation is finalised, he said.

"The government is confident that Malaysia's participation in the alliance will benefit the country,” Anwar said. The bloc’s gross domestic product has reached US$26.6 trillion (RM125 trillion), more than 26% of the world’s economic output, he noted.

Malaysia’s differing views on certain issues are not an obstacle from participating in BRICS, he said, citing Malaysia's relationship with the Western world and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) bloc.

Malaysia does not always agree with the positions of other member states, particularly on the issue of Gaza, though this does not mean that Malaysia should cut off these relationships, Anwar said.

The government has conducted a detailed study on all implications of Malaysia joining BRICS, Anwar said, stressing that Malaysia's stance is not to interfere in the domestic political affairs of other countries, but to prioritise economic trade and expand networks.

BRIC was originally conceived as an investment idea by a Goldman Sachs economist before it was turned into an actual geopolitical bloc in 2009. South Africa joined a year later, before it was expanded with new members Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates.

In June, Anwar announced that Malaysia had expressed its wish to join BRICS to the president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.