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South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has confirmed that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has expressed a desire to join the Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) family.
The president concluded his State Visit to the Kingdom, confident that both countries have cemented their continued bilateral cooperation and consolidated their strategic partnership.
The State Visit to Saudi Arabia was about advancing diplomatic and political relations between our two countries, but it is the economic relations that underpinned the substance of our visit.#SAinSaudiArabia pic.twitter.com/zuVPODGy1c
— Cyril Ramaphosa 🇿🇦 (@CyrilRamaphosa) October 16, 2022
Ramaphosa visited Saudi Arabia at the invitation of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, His Royal Highness (HRH) King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, and was hosted in Jeddah by HRH Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz al Saud on 15 and 16 October.
The president said Saudi Arabia’s joining of BRICS would mean significant change in the countries that form the bloc.
He however said this would be discussed during a summit to take place in South Africa next year.
“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.
“And already a number of countries or nations have been making approaches to the other member countries, and we’ve given them the same answer to say it’ll be discussed by the BRICS partners themselves, five of them, and thereafter a decision will be made,” Ramaphosa said.