The foursome discussed their former bandmate as they promoted their first single in nearly seven years ahead of their UK and Ireland tour in May.
While stating there's "no feud with Brian full stop", Kian Egan, 38, told MailOnline that Brian, also 38, is part of the band that no longer exists.
He said: "It's a very simple case of Brian was a part of the band for the first five years and the band existed for eight years without him and when we got back together Westlife was a four…
"He's part of a band that doesn't exist. There's no negativity, no bad blood. There's only positivity and it's a case that the Westlife we're members of, is a four. That's it.
Mark Feehily added: "We wonder when we'll stop being asked about it because it was 15 years ago. There was never a question of Brian being involved."
Building on what his bandmates said, Shane revealed that his 13-year-old daughter Nicole had no idea who Brian was when she saw an old photo of the band as a fivesome.
The comments come after Brian took to Twitter to share his support for the foursome's comeback single, Hello My Love.
Taking to the micro-blogging site today, the Dubliner retweeted former bandmate Nicky Byrne's tweet, that read: "Here you go Peoples! Link to "Hello My Love" available now"
Quoting the tweet, the Dancing On Ice contestant wrote: "Love it! Great song great production. The boys are back!"
The Irish boyband soared to fame in 1998 as a five-piece with their debut single, Swear It All Over Again.
But their time as a fivesome was up six years later when Brian shocked fans just three weeks prior to their fourth world tour and announced he was leaving the group.
At the time, he cited wanting to spend more time with his family before embarking on a solo career six months later.
Following his departure, the band continued on for another eight successful years before they split in 2012 to focus on their own solo projects.
Since their hiatus, Markus Feehily has released two solo albums, while Kian Egan acted as a judge on The Voice Ireland and Nicky Byrne enjoyed a career in broadcasting.
But it hasn't been all plain sailing as Shane, who also launched a solo career after the split, was forced to file for bankruptcy after his investment in a property development in his native Sligo went bust.
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