Saudi Arabia has expressed its desire to join the BRICS, South African media reported.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa revealed this during his two-day state visit to the kingdom on Sunday.

BRICS is a group of 5 countries which are Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

“The Crown Prince (prime minister Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz al Saud) did express Saudi Arabia’s desire to be part of BRICS and they are not the only country,” said Ramaphosa, South African online newspaper TimesLive reported Sunday.

BRICS held its first summit in 2009, and SA joined the organisation the following year. The bloc has generally been viewed as an alternative to the western economies’ dominance.

“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.