Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi highlighted Odisha's disaster management model and called for greater international cooperation to tackle climate-related challenges
Delegates from 11 BRICS member and partner countries are discussing climate resilience, disaster preparedness and sustainable risk reduction under India's Brics Presidency
The intra-BRICS trade has increased multiple times over the last few years but it accounts for only around 5 per cent of the global trade, reflecting huge untapped potential for deeper integration and stronger value-chain linkages, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal has said. BRICS is a grouping of 11 developing countries - Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates. It acts as a platform for consultation and cooperation on contemporary issues having global as well as regional significance, and issues of global political and economic governance. India has assumed the BRICS Chairship for the fourth time, after 2012, 2016 and 2021. Addressing the 2nd Meeting of the BRICS Contact Group on Trade and Economic Issues, held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, on May 14-15, Agrawal said intra-BRICS merchandise trade has risen 13-fold, from USD 84 billion in 2003 to USD 1.17 trillion in 2024. However, he said, this "trade sti
Brics foreign ministers failed to agree on a joint communique amid divisions over the West Asia conflict during the New Delhi conclave
Without naming the UAE, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told a news conference that a Brics member blocked some parts of the statement
Sharp differences between Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) over the West Asia conflict were on full display on Thursday during the opening day of the BRICS foreign ministers' meeting in New Delhi, signalling the challenges the bloc faces in reaching a consensus position on the crisis. It is learnt that there were heated exchanges between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and the UAE's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Khalifa Shaheen Al Marar during the first sessions at the meeting. As the situation appeared to deteriorate, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov intervened to cool the tempers, it is learnt. In his address, Araghchi said Iran is a victim of "illegal expansionism and warmongering" and urged the BRICS nations to "explicitly condemn" what he described as violations of international law by the US and Israel. The Iranian foreign minister called upon the BRICS to resist "Western hegemony and the sense of impunity that the US believes it is entitled ...
West Asia conflict and Strait of Hormuz tensions dominated BRICS talks amid sharp exchanges between Iranian and UAE ministers
India termed the attack on its vessel in the Gulf of Oman "unacceptable" after the ship caught fire and sank, while all 14 crew members were rescued safely
Araghchi said Iran views Brics as a symbol of an emerging global order led increasingly by countries of the Global South
Jaishankar said the tensions in the Gulf region, including threats to maritime traffic and energy infrastructure, underline the fragile security environment
Jaishankar was speaking at the start of a two-day meeting of Brics foreign ministers in New Delhi
India is hosting the two-day Brics foreign ministers' meeting, which kicks off Thursday, with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar chairing the gathering
Iran will welcome any initiative by major powers like India to bring peace to West Asia and it is developing a new service-and-payment-based framework for the passage of merchant vessels through the Strait of Hormuz in line with international norms, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said on Wednesday. Gharibabadi, currently in New Delhi, told a select group of journalists that a demand by "one member country" of the BRICS to condemn Iran has prevented the grouping from reaching a unified position on the regional conflict, an apparent reference to the United Arab Emirates. "We want India's BRICS chairship to be successful. It is not a good approach to send a signal to the world that the BRICS is divided. One country is insisting to condemn Iran," he said. "We have not attacked neighbouring countries. They handed their territories to the US to launch an attack on us. We never insisted that Arab countries should be condemned as they allowed their military bases to the .
The escalating crisis in West Asia and its impact on the global energy supply chain are expected to dominate deliberations at a two-day meeting of BRICS foreign ministers to be hosted by India this week. While Tehran has informed New Delhi that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is set to attend the May 14-15 conclave, sources suggest his plans could change if the situation in the region changes dramatically. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will skip the meeting as his presence is required in Beijing for US President Donald Trump's three-day state visit, which coincides with the BRICS gathering. Chinese Ambassador to India Xi Feihong will attend the meeting on Wang's behalf, Beijing announced on Tuesday. Foreign ministers of several BRICS member states including Russia's Sergey Lavrov have already confirmed their participation, the sources said. The BRICS foreign ministers will also call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. India, as the chair of the BRICS, is hosting the conclave of t
India and Iran discussed energy security concerns, Strait of Hormuz disruptions, and preparations for the upcoming BRICS foreign ministers' meeting
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will travel to India next month to attend the BRICS foreign ministers' meeting in New Delhi, the Foreign Ministry announced on Wednesday. During his visit on May 14-15, Lavrov will also hold a bilateral meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said during a briefing. "On May 14-15, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will attend a full-format meeting of BRICS foreign ministers in New Delhi," Zakharova said. The meeting, chaired by India, will provide a valuable platform for substantive discussions on current international issues and prospects for strengthening global governance, particularly regarding countries representing the global majority, she was quoted as saying by the state-run TASS news agency. "Special attention will be given to enhancing strategic partnerships in preparation for the 18th BRICS summit, which is also scheduled to take place in New Delhi this September
MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said a joint statement was not possible because a general consensus could not be reached among the members
Sharp differences among the BRICS member states over the US-Israel war on Iran stalled India's efforts to build a consensus position on the conflict during a meeting of the grouping in New Delhi last week, official sources said on Sunday. There was no change in India's position on the Palestine issue at all, they said days after the meeting of the BRICS Deputy foreign ministers and special envoys on Middle East and North America held in New Delhi. As consensus on the West Asia conflict eluded, a "chair's statement" was released at the end of the deliberations. India is the current chair of the BRICS. The BRICS meeting of officials on the Middle-East could not produce a consensus document because there was "sharp difference of positions among members who are party to the conflict", the sources said. It is learnt that the United Arab Emirates' position on the conflict resulted in the meeting ending without producing a collective statement. Efforts to bridge the gaps by all others we
On the sidelines of Brcis, a separate working visit by Lavrov will take place to meet External Affairs Minister Jaishankar and other Indian officials
New Delhi has strong economic ties with the UAE and other Gulf nations, where almost 10 million Indians work