Saudi Arabia Seeks To Join SCO, BRICS - Russian Ambassador To Riyadh

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 12th February, 2023) Saudi Arabia would like to join the BRICS club of five emerging economies and become a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), Russian Ambassador to Riyadh Sergei Kozlov said in an interview with Sputnik on Sunday.

"As part of diversifying its foreign policy, Saudi Arabia is interested in joining such authoritative international associations as the SCO and BRICS," the ambassador said.

Saudi partners have voiced corresponding ideas in contacts with the Russian side, Kozlov added.

"The issue of partnership in the SCO dialogue is under active consideration, while the possible membership of Saudi Arabia in the BRICS is currently being considered conceptually," the diplomat said.

Riyadh's desire to become an integrated part of these multilateral structures, primarily the SCO, has a good prospect, according to Kozlov.

In September 2022, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, noted the growing role of the SCO in international affairs and expressed the Kingdom's readiness to actively participate in the organization's activities.