Azerbaijan announced that it applied for membership in the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) alliance, in a move welcomed by Russia.

"Azerbaijan has officially applied to become a member of BRICS," Foreign Ministry spokesman Aykhan Hajizada told Anadolu Agency (AA) in an interview.

Azerbaijan's interest in joining BRICS was stated in a joint declaration with China on establishing a strategic partnership between the two countries, which was signed during a Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Astana early last month.

It stated Azerbaijan's desire to join BRICS and indicated that China welcomed this request.

A joint declaration adopted during Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent visit to Azerbaijan on Aug. 18-19 also declared Moscow's support for Baku's membership.

For over a decade, the bloc included just five nations: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates joined in January, and Saudi Arabia has said it's considering doing so as well.

The club already includes some of the world's biggest oil producers, and accounts for well over a quarter of the world's GDP. Its members Russia and Iran have had their relations with the West stretched to breaking point over Moscow's war on Ukraine and Iran's regional policies.