The foreign ministers of the BRICS countries will be meeting in Cape Town, South Africa to discuss global and regional developments. Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar will be attending and is expected to meet with his Chinese and Russian counterparts, Qin Gang and Sergey Lavrov respectively, on June 1st and 2nd. South Africa is currently the chair of the BRICS and is hosting the meeting.
The meeting is an opportunity for the BRICS foreign ministers to reflect on global and regional developments. South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Dr Naledi Pandor, will host the Meeting of BRICS Ministers of Foreign Affairs and International Relations. In addition to this, a “Friends of BRICS” meeting will be held on June 2nd, inviting 15 foreign ministers from Africa and the global south to attend.
Jaishankar is expected to emphasize the importance of universally respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states during the meeting. He will also hold bilateral meetings with Qin Gang and Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines. These meetings are important given the potential for Chinese President Xi Jinping to visit India twice this year for the SCO Leadership Summit and G20 Summit.
Jaishankar will also use the meeting to discuss issues faced by countries in the Global South, including how climate change impacts these nations and the need for UN reforms.
