India has wholeheartedly welcomed Egypt, Iran, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Ethiopia joining the BRICS as their representatives attended for the first time a key meeting of the grouping hosted by Russia. 

The BRICS Foreign Ministers meeting in Nizhny Novgorod yesterday was the first ministerial meeting following BRICS expansion in 2023 when Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE joined the grouping as full-fledged BRICS members. 

Secretary (Economic Relations) in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Dammu Ravi led the Indian delegation at the BRICS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. Usually, the External Affairs Minister attends such meetings. 

Since Dr S Jaishankar was reappointed as External Affairs Minister only yesterday after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s swearing-in ceremony on Sunday, he could not make it to Russia to attend the meeting. The MEA spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal termed the meeting significant and welcomed the new BRICS members. 

Meanwhile, BRICS Ministers of Foreign Affairs have expressed their concern about ongoing conflicts in many parts of the world and reiterated their commitment to the peaceful resolution of disputes through diplomacy, inclusive dialogue and consultations. 

The ministers expressed grave concern at the deterioration of the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory, in particular the unprecedented escalation of violence in the Gaza Strip as a result of the Israeli military operation.