section_path: Member states/Partner states
section_name: Partner states
paragraph_text: Partner states
  
  Partner states are a new category for integration of prospective members, introduced in 2024 at the 16th BRICS summit in Kazan, the Russian Federation. These countries are observer states that are not yet officially part of the BRICS bloc, yet would get support from BRICS members. These observer states prove themselves as partners before further integrating as a member, similar to the accession process of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. 13 states were invited to be formal partners; the following 10 states then ensured their partnership status by January 2025, while Indonesia acceded into the core membership.
  
  Two more countries had been invited to join the BRICS bloc as observer partner states like the ones listed above but have not yet confirmed that status as of mid-January 2025.