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Saudi Arabia officially joins BRICS — TV

Saudi Arabia became a full-fledged member

DUBAI, January 2. /TASS/. Saudi Arabia has officially joined BRICS as a full-fledged member, the kingdom’s state-run news channel Al Ekhbariya reported.

"The kingdom’s full membership of BRICS grouping comprising Russia, China and other countries has begun which strengthens its global positions," the TV channel said. "In August, the group invited six more countries to join as it connected some of the largest energy producers on the planet and major consumers in developing countries," it added.

The BRICS group, established in 2006, first expanded in 2011, when South Africa joined the four founding nations (Brazil, Russia, India and China). Five new members (Egypt, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Ethiopia) formally became full-fledged members of the BRICS group on January 1. Russia assumed BRICS’ one-year rotating chairmanship on the same day.

The decision to invite more countries to join BRICS was made at the group’s summit in Johannesburg in August 2023. Commenting on the results of the summit, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud, the kingdom’s top diplomat, said that Riyadh would study the invitation and "make an appropriate decision". He added that the country was waiting for details from BRICS on the conditions of its membership in the association.

On October 27, Saudi Economy and Planning Minister Faisal bin Fadhil Alibrahim said the kingdom was still considering the invitation to join BRICS, analyzing the economic feasibility of potential membership.

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