"The kingdom has always focused on promoting more global dialogue. We have been invited to BRICS, similar to how we have been invited to many other multilateral forums before. We evaluate many aspects before making a decision and right now, we are in an intermediate state," Saudi Arabia's Minister of Economy and Planning Faisal bin Fadhil Al-Ibrahim told Bloomberg this week.
Representatives of Saudi Arabia have repeatedly stated that the kingdom's authorities have not yet made a final decision on BRICS membership.
Saudi Arabia's Minister of Commerce Majed bin Abdullah al-Qasabi told the World Economic Forum's 2024 meeting that the kingdom has yet to formally join the BRICS group.
In early January 2024, Saudi Arabian state television reported that the kingdom would become an official member of BRICS this year. However, the station later deleted information about the matter from its social media accounts.
The decision to invite new members to the community was made at the BRICS summit held in Johannesburg, South Africa in August 2023.
Commenting on the outcome of the meeting, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said the kingdom would study the invitation and make an "appropriate decision".
According to him, Saudi Arabia wants BRICS to provide detailed information on the terms of membership.
During the BRICS summit held in Kazan, Russia in October 2024, Russian Presidential Assistant Yury Ushakov said that Saudi Arabia attended the summit as an invited country.
He also stressed that Saudi Arabia is showing interest in working closely with the BRICS group.
The Saudi delegation attending the summit in Kazan was led by the Foreign Minister.
