Ahead of the virtual BRICS meet set to be held on June 24, India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval attended a virtual NSA meeting hosted by Chinese NSA Yang Jiechi on Wednesday. The meeting was held to strengthen “political and security cooperation” within the five-nation grouping of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
Speaking at the event, Indian NSA Ajit Doval called for bolstering cooperation against terrorism. He also called for immediate reforms in the multilateral system to address global issues and insisted on credibility, equity and accountability while addressing global issues.
Doval referred to the BRICS Counter-Terrorism Working Group and welcomed the ongoing cooperation between the members. He also insisted upon the need for collective action on climate change and the Covid-19 pandemic.
He also called for cooperation in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) security by preventing terrorists from utilizing this sector. He also called for engagement in sectors such as outer space and maritime security while pointing out the importance of “trusted and resilient supply chains.”
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said that, “With profound changes in the international landscape interwoven with a pandemic unseen in a century, our world has entered a new phase of turbulence and transformation. As the current BRICS chair, China looks forward to working with fellow BRICS members to achieve positive results through this meeting, further consolidate political mutual trust, deepen political and security cooperation, uphold the five countries’ security and development interests, and contribute to world peace and stability.”
What is BRICS
BRICS is the acronym coined for five major rising economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. The five major economies together represent 41 per cent of the global population. 24 per cent of the global GDP is controlled by these nations including 16 per cent of the global trade.
