Saudi Pushes Back Against South Africa Claim Of BRICS Entry

Reuters reports that contrary to reports, Saudi Arabia is not yet a member of the BRICS group and has not signalled an acceptance of the invite extended in 2023. An unnamed official told Reuters that “Saudi Arabia has not yet responded to the invitation to join BRICS. It is still under consideration,” The comments come as a direct rebuttal to South African Foreign Minsiter Naledi Pandor, who claimed on 31 Jan that "With respect to the BRICS confirmations, five out of the six have confirmed. That is Saudi Arabia, UAE, Ethiopia, Iran ... and Egypt,"

• Saudi Arabia is the BRICS invitee with the closest relations with the West, and is could be weighing up the implications of joining a bloc that includes US strategic rivals and adversaries such as Russia and China.
• For South Africa the comments will come as something of a diplomatic faux pas, with the country now handing over the BRICS presidency to Russia without being sure of how many countries the group consists of.