NEW DELHI – India is hosting the foreign ministers of BRICS countries here, even as the shadow of the conflict in West Asia looms over the two-day meeting which started on Thursday. The major event of the now 11-member grouping should determine the course for the leaders’ summit later this year.
The meeting offers member countries a forum to discuss regional and global issues and search for a way forward, as a few of its members are involved in the West Asia conflict.
The differences led to a situation here during April where the BRICS deputy foreign ministers and special envoys of the Middle East and North Africa could not agree on a joint statement.
The Indian Ministry of External Affairs announced that during the May 14-15 meeting, the foreign ministers of BRICS member countries will exchange views on global and regional issues and call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and on the second day, member and partner countries will take part in a thematic session: “BRICS@20: Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability” and “Reforms of Global Governance and Multilateral System”. The BRICS Foreign Ministers held their meeting last on September 26 last year in New York on the margins of the U.N. General Assembly.
As a grouping, BRICS focus is on cooperation in the geo-economic sphere; however, it is difficult to sidestep the geo-political challenges, and the effect of the US-Iran-Israel war. The overhang of the conflict amid reports of Iran attacking locations inside the UAE and vice versa adds to the trust deficit. Besides the UAE and Iran, Saudi Arabia is also part of BRICS.
Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Aragchi, is scheduled to attend the event and hold a bilateral meeting with India’s external affairs minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, on Friday. Aragchi has been advocating that BRICS be more proactive, especially under the chairmanship of India, to address the West Asia conflict.
On Wednesday, Dr Jaishankar met the South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Ozzy Lamola.
In his message on social media X, the minister said: “Reviewed different aspects of our strategic partnership. Also discussed issues of mutual interest. Agreed on the need to intensify our interactions through institutional mechanisms.”
Lamola was among those who arrived in New Delhi on Wednesday evening as foreign ministers from other countries started to reach here.
Meanwhile, the High Commissioner of South Africa to India, Prof Anil Sooklal, expressed optimism that India is well placed to bridge the differences. “India enjoys excellent relations with both the global north and the global south and is well placed to try and bridge the challenges,” he said in an exclusive interaction with Sunday World ahead of the meeting (see full interview).
Reflecting on the impact of ongoing conflicts, he said developing countries were facing an energy crisis and a squeeze on fertilisers, which affects agriculture and food security. The meeting would explore how BRICS can work towards a possible solution for sustainable peace.
The larger focus will also be on the reforms in the multilateral systems, especially the United Nations and the Security Council, which he said were unable to have any impact. “UNSC has not been able to have any impact on the ongoing crisis vis-à-vis Russia-Ukraine, the situation in Western Asia, more specifically Iran and the US-Israel, the Gaza situation and Sudan….the body entrusted with enforcing and preserving international peace and addressing issues of conflict is paralysed by the members that created it, that’s a matter of concern. It demonstrates we need a new global security geopolitical architecture.”
Besides increasing trade within the grouping, Prof. Sooklal said BRICS countries should trade in their own currencies and develop their own payment platforms. “It’s a critical moment for us to see how we deepen trade amongst ourselves … more in our own currencies …create our own payment platforms in terms of not relying on established Western-dominated payment platforms and currencies.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also arrived here for the meeting. On Wednesday the foreign ministers held delegation-level talks and reviewed cooperation between both sides across diverse fields.
The foreign minister of China, Mr Wang Yi, will not be present as Beijing prepares to receive President Donald Trump of the United States. The Chinese ambassador to India, Mr Xu Feihong, will represent the country.
Besides 11 member countries: Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates. In 2025, Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam joined BRICS as partner countries (End)
(Kunduri is a Delhi-based senior journalist)
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- India is hosting the BRICS foreign ministers' meeting amid tensions from the West Asia conflict, which impacts some member countries like Iran, UAE, and Saudi Arabia.
- The two-day meeting focuses on global and regional challenges, cooperation, and reforms in the multilateral system, leading up to the leaders' summit later in 2024.
- Iran's foreign minister Abbas Aragchi will attend, urging BRICS under India's chairmanship to take a proactive role in addressing the West Asia conflict.
- South Africa's High Commissioner highlighted the need for BRICS to promote sustainable peace, enhance intra-group trade using local currencies, and develop independent payment platforms.
- China’s foreign minister Wang Yi will not attend; instead, ambassador Xu Feihong will represent China, while Russia’s Sergey Lavrov is present. The group now has 11 members plus several partner countries joining in 2025.
NEW DELHI –
As a grouping, BRICS focus is on cooperation in the geo-economic sphere; however, it is difficult to sidestep the geo-political challenges, and the effect of the US-Iran-Israel war.
Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Aragchi, is scheduled to attend the event and hold a bilateral meeting with
On Wednesday, Dr
In his message on social media X, the minister said: “Reviewed different aspects of our strategic partnership. Also discussed issues of mutual interest. Agreed on the need to intensify our interactions through institutional mechanisms."
Lamola was among those who arrived in New Delhi on Wednesday evening as foreign ministers from other countries started to reach here.
Meanwhile, the High Commissioner of
Besides increasing trade within the grouping, Prof. Sooklal said BRICS countries should trade in their own currencies and develop their own payment platforms. “It's a critical moment for us to see how we deepen trade amongst ourselves … more in our own currencies …create our own payment platforms in terms of not relying on established Western-dominated payment platforms and currencies.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also arrived here for the meeting. On Wednesday the foreign ministers held delegation-level talks and reviewed cooperation between both sides across diverse fields.
Besides 11 member countries: Brazil, China, Egypt,
(
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