In its capacity as this year’s Chair of the BRICS, Russia will hold consultations with potential new partner countries by January 1, according to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov, the BRICS Sherpa, reported Sputnik today. He also said that at the BRICS summit in Kazan, BRICS leaders had reached an agreement on the criteria for inviting new members, but noted that the work isn’t finished.