Saudi Arabia keen to develop future cooperation with BRICS group: FM

Saudi Arabia is keen to develop future cooperation with the BRICS group to achieve collective prosperity, the official Saudi Press Agency reported on Saturday, citing Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan.

During the ministerial meeting of Friends of BRICS in South Africa’s Cape Town, Prince Faisal said that the Kingdom aims to advance this cooperation with BRICS by benefiting from the capabilities that the Kingdom and BRICS countries posses.

“The Kingdom remains the BRICS group’s largest commercial partner in the Middle East…The total value of bilateral trade with the countries of the BRICS group increased from $81 billion in 2017 and 128 billion in 2021 and exceeded $160 billion in 2022,” he said.

He added that Saudi Arabia shares basic values with the BRICS countries such as that relations between countries are based on the principles of respect for sovereignty, non-interference, and adherence to international law.

Prince Faisal also reaffirmed the Kingdom’s commitment to work with international partners to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.

The Kingdom is also committed to intensifying global efforts to enhance food and energy security amid recurring crises and supply-chain issues, the FM said, noting that Saudi Arabia plays a significant role in the field of humanitarian and development aid and is among the top 10 donors to low- and middle-income countries.