MOSCOW, January 19. /TASS/. Moscow can only go by agreements on Saudi Arabia’s BRICS membership as the Kremlin has no reason to believe Riyadh is having second thoughts about joining the organization, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

When commenting on media reports alleging that Riyadh has not yet made a final decision on joining the group, Peskov said: "We believe that Saudi Arabia is guided by BRICS membership." "We have no other information at this point," he added.

Peskov pointed out that Moscow remained in contact with Riyadh. "The issue was particularly touched upon during President Putin’s recent visit to Riyadh," the Kremlin spokesman noted.

The BRICS group has expanded twice since being created in 2006. South Africa joined the four founding nations - Brazil, Russia, India and China - in 2011. Six more countries, including Argentina, were invited to become BRICS members in August 2023. However, Buenos Aires abandoned the idea in late December. Meanwhile, the remaining five new members - Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia - are fully engaged in BRICS’ activities.