BRICS supports UNSC reforms: EAM after ministerial meeting

New Delhi, June 2

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday said the BRICS grouping was no longer an “alternative”, but an “established feature of the global landscape”.

Addressing the Friends of BRICS Foreign Ministers meeting in Cape Town, he said, “BRICS is an expression of not only multipolarity but of the many and diverse ways of meeting international challenges. Creating resilient and reliable supply chains are central to ensuring that no one is left behind.”

“The message of reform that BRICS embodies must permeate the world of multilateralism. The ‘Friends of BRICS’ meet strongly supports UNSC reforms,” he said.

The five-country grouping BRICS has been inundated with requests for membership. Those present at Cape Town to press their claims for membership included Ministers from Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Cuba, Congo, Comoros, Gabon and Kazakhstan. Egypt, Argentina, Bangladesh, Guinea-Bissau and Indonesia were participating virtually.

Officials, however, said there was need to proceed carefully. “BRICS has a history of success. The group is also a brand and an asset, so we have to take care of it,” Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira said.

Jaishankar said BRICS had discussed the guiding principles, standards, criteria and procedures of what an expanded BRICS bloc would look like. “This is still work in progress,” he said. India wants a common policy for admitting new members rather than selecting them on an individual basis.