MINSK: Belarus announced on Monday that it has officially been granted BRICS partner country status. A statement from the Belarusian Foreign Ministry detailed the diplomatic exchange in which a letter from President Alexander Lukashenko to Russian President Vladimir Putin was delivered by Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov to Moscow's Ambassador to Minsk, Boris Gryzlov. According to Anadolu Agency, the letter, which signifies Minsk's readiness to join BRICS as a partner country, is dated November 5. It was handed over during a personal meeting between Gryzlov and the Belarusian top diplomat. The ministry's statement emphasized that an official response to a written invitation is a crucial step in the procedure agreed upon by member states to obtain partner status. From this point, Belarus is officially recognized as a BRICS partner. The statement also included excerpts from Lukashenko's letter, highlighting BRICS' growing influence in multilateral cooperation and its role as a pillar of multipolarity. Lukashe nko expressed gratitude to Putin for his support and underscored the formalization of Minsk's participation in BRICS as a partner during Russia's presidency. The new status allows Belarus permanent participation in special sessions of the bloc's summits and foreign ministers' meetings.