(Adds OECD confirmation)
By Marcela Ayres and Lisandra Paraguassu
BRASILIA, Jan 25 (Reuters) - The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) said on Tuesday it had begun talks to allow Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Romania, Bulgaria and Croatia to join the club of rich nations.
The OECD, which currently has 38 members, said there was no timeline for each nation to enter the club, and their progress would depend on adhering to the organization's best practices while also facing an evaluation by more than 20 committees.
A source in Brazil, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the average time to enter the Paris-based body at this point was three to five years.
Brazil's Economy Ministry was not immediately available for comment. The news was originally reported by Brazilian newspaper Valor.
Brazil has been waiting for years to join the forum for democratic countries with solid market economies. Chile, Mexico, Colombia and Costa Rica are the only countries in Latin America that have managed to join.
Last October, Brazilian Economy Minister Paulo Guedes said he hoped the United States would continue to support his country's bid to join the group.
Brazil has held out hope that joining the OECD would boost investor confidence as it battles high inflation and unemployment, as well as the lingering impact of the world's deadliest coronavirus outbreak outside the United States. (Reporting by Lisandra Paraguassu and Marcela Ayres; Writing by Carolina Pulice; Editing by Paul Simao and Jan Harvey)
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