MOSCOW, February 1. /TASS/. Saudi Arabia by all criteria and "in general by the very logic" belongs to BRICS, Deputy Foreign Minister and Russia's BRICS Sherpa Sergey Ryabkov said.

"Saudi Arabia, of course, according to all the criteria that were discussed last year and developed in relation to the new members, and in general, according to the very logic, according to common sense, belongs to this community, I mean the BRICS community. If some internal processes in Saudi Arabia have not yet been completed, so be it," the senior diplomat said at a press conference after the first meeting of the Sherpa and Sous-Sherpa group under the Russian chairmaship. "We will treat them with respect and we will be ready to welcome Saudi representatives at the next events, just as we have done at the events where Saudi representatives have already participated, including this year during the Russian presidency," he pointed out.

Ryabkov also noted that Russia respects the need of its counterparts in Riyadh to continue internal discussions on BRICS participation. "We do not go into the nature of these discussions, because BRICS by definition and nature is an organization that rejects any format that involves imposing anything on anyone, let alone diktat. This is an association where we are ready to cooperate on a constructive agenda with all those who are in the mood for it, but at the same time share the BRICS values," the senior Russian diplomat said.

Saudi Arabia could not participate in the meeting of BRICS Sherpas and Sous-Sherpas in Moscow. According to Ryabkov, this is a technical moment.

Earlier, a senior diplomat said that Saudi Arabia, along with other countries, joined the group from January 1, 2024.