New Delhi
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday hosted top diplomats from the BRICS nations as New Delhi kicked off a high-stakes conclave of the foreign ministers of the influential bloc.
The visiting dignitaries, who made a joint call on the prime minister, included Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Iran's Abbas Araqchi, Brazil's Mauro Vieira, Indonesia's Sugiono, and South Africa's Ronald Lamola.
The India-hosted meet assumed greater significance as the influential bloc grapples with the economic consequences of the West Asia crisis, particularly the severe energy supply disruptions and Washington's policy on trade and tariffs.
India, as the chair of the BRICS, is hosting the two-day conclave from Thursday ahead of the annual summit of the grouping in September.
BRICS, originally comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, expanded in 2024 to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates, with Indonesia joining in 2025.
It has emerged as an influential grouping, as it brings together 11 major emerging economies of the world, representing around 49.5 per cent of the global population, around 40 per cent of the global GDP and around 26 per cent of the global trade.
The BRICS meeting will be chaired by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
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