India welcomed Egypt, Iran, UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Ethiopia joining BRICS on Monday as their representatives attended a key meeting of the grouping hosted by Russia for the first time.
Senior diplomat Dammu Ravi led the Indian delegation at the BRICS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Nizhny Novgorod, in western Russia. “A significant meeting in the format of an expanded BRICS family. India wholeheartedly welcomes the new membership,” tweeted Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs.
The meeting marked the first ministerial gathering since BRICS expanded in 2023, including Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE alongside Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa as full members. Ravi, Secretary (Economic Relations) in the MEA, led the Indian delegation, as External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar was reappointed only a day prior and could not attend.
A joint statement issued after the meeting highlighted the BRICS foreign ministers’ commitment to strengthening the BRICS Strategic Partnership under the three pillars of cooperation: politics and security, economy and finance, and cultural and people-to-people exchanges. They reiterated their dedication to multilateralism, international law, and the central role of the United Nations in maintaining international peace and security, promoting sustainable development, and protecting democracy and human rights.
The ministers supported comprehensive UN reform, including the Security Council, to make it more democratic, representative, effective, and efficient. They also affirmed the G20’s role as a premier forum for international economic cooperation and supported the inclusion of the African Union as a G20 member.
Expressing concern over global conflicts, the ministers reiterated their commitment to peaceful dispute resolution through diplomacy and dialogue. They addressed the situation in Ukraine, appreciating mediation efforts aimed at peaceful resolution.
The BRICS ministers expressed grave concern over the deteriorating situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, particularly the escalation of violence in Gaza, calling for an immediate, durable ceasefire and the unconditional release of hostages. They reaffirmed their support for Palestine’s full UN membership and a two-state solution based on 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as the capital.
Emphasizing the need for peace in Afghanistan, the ministers condemned terrorism in all its forms, reaffirming their commitment to combating terrorism financing and safe havens. They stressed the importance of accountability for terrorist activities and urged zero tolerance for terrorism without double standards.
The ministers highlighted the need to counter the use of emerging technologies by terrorists and called for full implementation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its Paris Agreement. They opposed unilateral protectionist measures disrupting global supply chains and supported a fair, inclusive multilateral trading system with the WTO at its core.
They also underscored the importance of using local currencies in trade and financial transactions between BRICS countries. Russia, having taken over the year-long BRICS chairmanship on January 1, 2024, plans over 250 events, with a BRICS summit in Kazan in October 2024 as the central highlight.
