The Russian government confirmed on Tuesday that Saudi Arabia was not yet a full member of the anti-American BRICS coalition, insisting that the Middle East would formalize its position in some way at a summit this month.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov issued a statement clarifying that Riyadh is not officially a member of BRICS, following remarks by another Kremlin official, aide Yuri Ushakov. named According to Reuters, Saudi Arabia joined the group a week ago. The Russian government is preparing to hold the annual BRICS summit in the city of Kazan starting October 22nd.
BRICS is an economic, security, and diplomatic alliance that originally consisted of the countries from which it takes its name: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. The BRICS countries voted to expand their membership a year ago, extending invitations to six countries: Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Argentina, and Ethiopia. Under the new leadership of anti-communist President Javier Millay, Argentina flatly declined the invitation, but other countries openly accepted.
saudi state television announced Although the country announced in January that it had entered the BRICS membership period, this report came after the Saudi crown prince appeared at an emergency BRICS event in November and condemned Israel's self-defense response to atrocities committed by the Iranian-backed terrorist organization Hamas. was not widely questioned. October 7th of that year.
But by the end of the month, the situation became uncertain as reports emerged that Riyadh had not finalized the process to join the coalition government.
“Saudi Arabia has not yet accepted the invitation to join BRICS. It is still under consideration,” said an anonymous Saudi source. said Reuters.
Geoff Maketka, South Africa's ambassador to Russia in Mzubukire, told Russian news agency TASS in February that Saudi Arabia was “still going through its own process” and had “not yet approved” membership.
As of February, there has been little update on whether Saudi Arabia is a full member of BRICS. When Ushakov listed Saudi Arabia among the BRICS members while discussing the upcoming summit, few questioned the addition.
Kremlin spokesman Peskov said the situation in Saudi Arabia remained uncertain as of Tuesday.
“The summit will be held now. We will provide additional information about who will be the representative of Saudi Arabia, whether Saudi Arabia will participate as a representative at this summit, and we will draw conclusions from it,” Peskov said. . said.
Reuters reported On October 10, it was announced that Mohammed bin Salman was not expected to attend the BRICS summit, which normally brings together heads of government from member countries. The report cited Ushakov as claiming that nine out of 10 BRICS countries will send their leaders, while Saudi Arabia will send its Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud.
“Two sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters in January that Riyadh was still considering a bid to join BRICS,” the outlet added.
BRICS was founded to promote an alternative to the Western-led world order and has implemented various policies that particularly weaken the United States, including plans to abolish the US dollar as the international trade currency and a united front against Western-led humanity. I've suggested it. rights sanctions. Saudi Arabia, a long-time close ally of the United States, is an unlikely candidate for BRICS membership, especially given its arch-geopolitical rival Iran's status as a full member.
However, under continued President Joe Biden, the Saudi government has begun to distance itself from American influence. As a presidential candidate, Biden views Riyadh as an enemy. promising The aim is to turn the country into a pariah over the gruesome murder of Islamist author Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi embassy. After taking over the White House, Biden took international steps to challenge Saudi Arabia's national security interests, including delisting Yemen's Houthis, an Iranian-backed terrorist group that has repeatedly bombed Saudi Arabia, as a foreign terrorist organization. was rapidly adopted. Biden too frozen Selling U.S. offensive weapons to Saudi Arabia to expand financial opportunities for the Houthis through delisting.
Three years later, the Houthis have begun a campaign to attack commercial shipping in and around the Red Sea, posing an existential threat to global shipping. random. Biden claimed in January that his decision to remove the Houthis from the list was “unrelated” to their growth as a terrorist organization.
Meanwhile, the Saudi government moved out of the US sphere of influence and reconciled with Iran through a deal brokered in Beijing in March 2023, leading to an invitation for both countries to join BRICS. Biden sought to rebuild broken relations during a 2022 trip to Saudi Arabia, now colloquially known as the “Fist Bump Summit,” but the summit failed to bring back any concrete deliverables. Ta. Immediately after the summit, anonymous reports surfaced that Mohammed bin Salman, along with his staff, had publicly mocked Biden's “insight.”
Given reports of personal animosity between the crown prince and Biden, as well as Biden's decision to withdraw from the 2024 presidential campaign, some observers believe the Saudi government will wait until the results of the US election before deciding to join the BRICS. It suggests that he may be waiting. However, as the list of countries actively seeking to join the anti-Western alliance grows, it is likely that decisive action for or against membership will have to be taken in the near future. Rogue states such as Venezuela and Cuba have openly expressed their interest in BRICS. NATO member Turkey has also said it aims to join BRICS, and some representation is expected to attend the next summit.
