Coordinator of Interregional Mechanisms of the Brazilian Foreign Ministry Ana Maria Bierrenbach, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Mehdi Safari, South African BRICS Sherpa Anil Sooklal, UAE Foreign Ministry representative Ahmed Al-Badawy and Indian Foreign Ministry representative Abhishek Singh pose for a family photo before a meeting of sherpas and sous-sherpas of the BRICS countries in Moscow, Russia. BRICS was established in 2009 as a cooperation platform for the world's largest emerging economies. Initially, the bloc united Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Last summer, their leaders invited Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the UAE and Saudi Arabia to join the bloc.