South Africa, which chairs the BRICS group of emerging economies in 2023, will host a meeting of the five member states' foreign ministers in its legislative capital of Cape Town on Thursday.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has arrived in South Africa to take part in the BRICS Foreign Ministers' meeting.

The top diplomats from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa are expected to address topical issues on the international agenda and cooperation on leading multilateral platforms, as well as to exchange opinions on the group's perspectives for strategic partnerships.

The ministerial on Thursday will be followed by an extended meeting of the so-called Friends of BRICS on Friday, to which the foreign ministers of 15 African and Global South countries are invited.

A number of other countries have expressed interest in joining BRICS, including Argentina, Iran, Indonesia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt.