Cuba officially wants in on the BRICS group as a partner country. Foreign Minister Carlos Miguel Pereira announced that the country has submitted a formal request to Russia’s President Vladimir Putin,

"Cuba has officially requested to join the BRICS as a 'Partner Country' through a letter to the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, who holds the presidency of the group," said Carlos M. Pereira, the director of bilateral relations at the Cuban Foreign Ministry,

Havana wants to become part of the growing team of emerging economies.