Saudi Arabia Shows Interest in Joining BRICS, South African President Says

Earlier this year, Argentina and Iran applied for full BRICS membership, while Indonesia and Algeria also expressed interest in joining the bloc, currently represented by Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.

Saudi Arabia is willing to join BRICS, South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa stated after meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Monday.

The president, who concluded his state visit to the kingdom, underlined that Saudi Arabia joining BRICS would mean a “significant change in the countries that form the bloc."

“The BRICS nations are going to be meeting in a summit next year under the chairship of South Africa. And the matter is going to be under consideration,” the president said.

Without naming the countries, Ramaphosa revealed that several nations have been making approaches to join the bloc, which represents 40 percent of the global population.

Over the past year, Argentina and Iran have applied for BRICS membership, while Algeria has expressed also interest in joining the format.

The bloc was formed in 2006 to enhance cooperation between the nations and elaborate common approaches to global economic challenges.