Saudi Arabia is still considering joining BRICS
An official Saudi source considered South Africa’s claim about Saudi Arabia joining the group of countries known as BRICS to be premature and emphasized that the Riyadh government is still reviewing the invitation to join.
Naledi Pandor, the South African Foreign Minister, had stated on February 11 that Saudi Arabia’s joining BRICS was certain, but an official Saudi source told Reuters on Thursday that the country has not yet responded to the invitation and is still considering it.
Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Economy, Faisal Al-Ibrahim, had also previously stated that his country is still evaluating this matter.
The group of emerging economies known as BRICS invited Saudi Arabia, Iran, Egypt, the UAE, Ethiopia, and Argentina to join this bloc starting from January 2024 during a summit in Johannesburg this past summer.
According to Reuters, the expansion of this group will increase its economic weight and could be seen as a step towards realizing the founding countries’ declared ambition to change the global order and strengthen the Global South.