HARARE, June 10. /TASS/. Zimbabwe maintains good relations with all BRICS member countries and it is edging closer to joining the grouping, Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa said as he returned home from the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

"Zimbabwe is edging closer to joining the BRICS economic bloc," The Herald quoted the Zimbabwean leader as saying. "Its [Zimbabwe’s] good relations with members will enhance chances of being admitted into the emerging global financial order," Mnangagwa said.

"On joining BRICS, I discussed that issue [during the SPIEF] with my dear brother, [Russian] President [Vladimir] Putin, telling him that it is our desire to join the bloc," the Zimbabwean leader emphasized. "I also had earlier on discussed it with my neighbor, President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa. The prospects are good because none of the BRICS members are anti-Zimbabwe," he maintained. Mnangagwa also described relations with China and Brazil as excellent.

According to the leader of Zimbabwe, BRICS membership could provide the landlocked South African country with access to new markets, investment and technology. At their meeting, the presidents of Russia and Zimbabwe discussed enhancing cooperation and trade.