Saudi Arabia Still Weighing BRICS Membership, Over Year After Invitation

More than a year after being invited to join the BRICS alliance of emerging economies, Saudi Arabia is still evaluating the potential benefits of membership, Bloomberg reports, citing the kingdom’s Minister of Economy and Planning, Faisal Al-Ibrahim.

Al-Ibrahim emphasized Saudi Arabia’s commitment to global dialogue but indicated a cautious approach to joining the BRICS group.

“The kingdom is always focusing on fostering more global dialogue,” he said. “We’ve been invited to the BRICS, similar to how we’ve been invited to many other multilateral platforms in the past historically. We assess many different aspects of it before a decision is made, and right now, we are in the middle of that.”

This ongoing evaluation echoes comments made by Al-Ibrahim last year, further highlighting the kingdom’s measured stance.

This hesitation contrasts with the swift acceptance of BRICS membership by other nations invited in 2023. Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates have all joined the alliance, demonstrating the bloc’s ambition to expand its global influence. BRICS currently consists of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.

The addition of Saudi Arabia, a leading global oil exporter, would significantly boost the group’s economic power. Bringing together major energy producers with some of the developing world’s largest consumers would give BRICS considerable economic leverage on the global stage.