His Highness Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today attended the Ministerial Meeting of the Friends of the BRICS in Cape Town, South Africa, which was held under the slogan “Partnership for accelerated growth, sustainable development and inclusive pluralism.” “. His speech at the meeting showed that the Kingdom is committed to developing future cooperation with the BRICS group, using the opportunities and opportunities that the Kingdom and the BRICS countries have, in order to meet common interests and achieve prosperity for all.
His Highness said: “The Kingdom is still the largest trading partner of the BRICS group in the Middle East, and trade relations with the BRICS countries have grown significantly, reflecting the growing and developed relations with the countries of the group, as the total bilateral trade with the countries of the group has increased from $81 billion to 2017 to $128 billion in 2021 AD and surpassed $160 billion in 2022 AD.
He explained that the Kingdom shares core values with the BRICS countries, namely the belief that relations between countries are based on the principles of respect for sovereignty, non-intervention, respect for international law, the existence of a multilateral framework and collective action as guidelines for solving common problems, adding that The Kingdom shares with other BRICS countries the belief in the importance of peace, security and stability in order to refocus efforts on national development and common prosperity.
His Highness added that the Kingdom remains committed to working with international partners to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 and to step up global efforts to improve food and energy security amid recurring crises and supply chain challenges, noting that the Kingdom is a leading country in humanitarian and development assistance in all areas of the world and is one of the top 10 donors for low- and middle-income countries.
The Saudi delegation attending the meeting included Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Rassi, Deputy Foreign Minister for International Affairs, and Sultan Al-Luwayhan Al-Ankari, Ambassador of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to the Republic of South Africa.