“Brics is a platform that has grown in membership and agenda over the last two decades. It is our endeavour to enhance understanding of BRICS activities among the international community,” Jaishankar stated in response to a written question in Lok Sabha on Friday.
According to him, Brics meetings and debates attempt to discover common ground and collaborate to build the global order, with a commitment to multipolarity serving as a unifying thread.
“Understandably, as nations at different levels of development and income, and bearing in mind their individual national interests, Brics members have a range of positions on contemporary issues,” the minister said.
Jaishankar was answering a query on the current status of Brics and whether it is true that the grouping has “started disintegrating” post the “tariff threat by America.”
Brics, a platform founded in 2006, has been “progressing steadily” since its inception, he said, adding that it reflects the “common concern” of its members and seeks to make global debates and leadership more representative and inclusive.“From time to time, regional political issues such as peaceful settlement in Afghanistan, the permanent ceasefire in Gaza, the situation in Lebanon, the humanitarian crisis in Sudan and Haiti, situation in and around Ukraine, territorial integrity of Syria, have also been deliberated upon by Brics members,” he said.Founded as Bric by Brazil, Russia, India and China, the grouping added South Africa in 2010 to become Brics. Thereafter, it has expanded to currently comprise 11 members and nine partner countries.
Brics has established a New Development Bank, or NDB, and is encouraging trade in national currencies among the member states. However, it does not have a single currency on its agenda and is not anti-West, Jaishankar had said at an earlier occasion.
Issues discussed by Brics include strengthening multilateralism, reforms of the UN Security Council, Bretton Woods institutions, WTO, counterterrorism, health, pandemic preparedness, finance and trade, climate change, improving the international monetary and financial system, biodiversity conservation and promotion and protection of human rights.
Land degradation, desertification and drought, global water scarcity challenge, the exercise of navigational rights and freedoms of vessels, non-proliferation and disarmament, outer space activities and prevention of an arms race in outer space were among other issues discussed by the grouping.
Brazil holds the current presidency and will host the Brics summit in July. Brics foreign ministers and NSAs are expected to meet in April.
