Russia's closest ally becomes BRICS partner | 11 Nov 2024 | Belarus has officially become a partner country of the BRICS economic bloc, the Foreign Ministry in Minsk announced in a statement on Monday. One of Russia's closest allies, Belarus has become a target of Western sanctions over the Ukraine conflict. Belarusian Foreign Minister Maksim Ryzhenkov has delivered a letter addressed to Russian President Vladimir Putin and written by the country's president Alexander Lukashenko, to Moscow's ambassador in Minsk Boris Gryzlov, the ministry’s press service has said. The new "partner country" status was approved as a result of the BRICS summit in the Russian city of Kazan last month. It provides for permanent participation in special sessions of the bloc's summits and foreign ministers' meetings, as well as other high-level events.