China to host meeting of foreign ministers of BRICS countries, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will also attend
China will host a meeting of foreign ministers of BRICS nations via video link on Thursday, which will be attended by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar along with his counterparts from the five-member grouping. This information was given by a top Chinese official on Wednesday. This is the first meeting of BRICS foreign ministers since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Foreign ministers of these countries will also be involved
Besides Jaishankar, South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor, Brazilian Foreign Minister Carlos Franca and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will also attend the meeting, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said. The meeting will be presided over by China’s State Counselor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Wenbin told a press briefing here that during the meeting, the Foreign Ministers of BRICS countries will hold BRICS Plus Dialogue with their counterparts from emerging markets and developing countries. He, however, did not reveal the names of the countries participating in the BRICS Plus talks.
Formerly Bangladesh, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Uruguay and Egypt were previously accepted as members of the BRICS New Development Bank (NDB), expanding the bank’s global reach. China is chairing BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) this year.
‘The meeting will give a clear message of unity’
Regarding China’s expectations for the meeting of foreign ministers of BRICS countries, Wang Wenbin said that the meeting will send a clear message of unity and prepare for the annual summit of the five-member grouping. “We will give a clear message to the BRICS countries to work together in solidarity, to uphold true multilateralism, to stand united in fighting COVID-19 and to promote peaceful development,” he said. We will prepare well for the BRICS summit.
This year’s summit is taking place under the shadow of Russia’s military offensive against Ukraine. The Foreign Ministry spokesman said, “BRICS is a cooperation mechanism of emerging markets and developing countries with global influence.” He said that the meeting of foreign ministers was proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2017 to the five-member grouping of China. during the presidency.
Wang Wenbin emphasized that under the strategic leadership of the BRICS leaders, the Foreign Ministers’ Meetings have played an important role in strengthening political mutual trust and deepening security cooperation between the five countries. He said that as BRICS Chair for 2022, China looks forward to increased communication and coordination with BRICS allies on the international situation and new challenges in key international and regional issues.
Also know about BRICS Plus Dialogue
“On the sidelines of this year’s foreign ministers’ meeting, we will also have a ‘BRICS Plus’ dialogue, where BRICS foreign ministers will exchange views on global governance with foreign ministers from some emerging markets and developing countries,” he said. Weinbin said the dialogue is believed to further enhance solidarity, political consensus, and give emerging markets and developing countries a greater authority in global governance, to better protect shared interests.
