New York [US], September 27 : India's upcoming BRICS Chairship in 2026, a firm stand against terrorism, a renewed call for UN Security Council (UNSC) reforms, and alarm over trade-restrictive measures dominated discussions at the BRICS Ministers of Foreign Affairs meeting held on the margins of the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA80).
The meeting held on Friday (local time) was chaired by India, with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar leading the session as India prepares to assume the BRICS presidency next year.
The call received unanimous support from counterparts for hosting the annual meeting and steering the group's agenda, as per a Joint Statement issued following the meeting.
"The Ministers expressed appreciation to India for holding the BRICS Ministers of Foreign Affairs/International Relations meeting on the margins of UNGA 80. They extended their full support to India for its BRICS Chairship in 2026 and the holding of the XVIII BRICS Summit in India," the joint statement declared.
Jaishankar, in a post on X, highlighted the group's role as a "voice of reason", emphasising priorities like food and energy security, digital transformation, and UN reforms for his 2026 tenure. The ministers also issued a strong condemnation of terrorism, zeroing in on the April 22 attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam that claimed 26 lives.
"They condemned in the strongest terms the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir on 22 April 2025, during which 26 people were killed and many more were injured. They reaffirmed their commitment to combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including the cross-border movement of terrorists, terrorism financing and safe havens," the statement read, urging zero tolerance and rejecting double standards.
The pointed reference to the attack, attributed to Pakistan-backed terrorist groups, aligns with India's recent rebuttal slamming Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's "absurd theatrics" and glorification of terrorism while exercising the Right to Reply at the UNGA.
On UNSC reform, the ministers reiterated support for the 2023 Johannesburg-II Leaders' Declaration, advocating a comprehensive overhaul to make the Council "more democratic, representative, effective and efficient".
They explicitly backed "the aspirations of Brazil and India to play a greater role in the United Nations, including its Security Council," bolstering New Delhi's long-standing bid for a permanent seat.
"Recalling the 2022 Beijing and 2023 Johannesburg II Leaders' Declarations, China and Russia, as permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, reiterated their support to the aspirations of Brazil and India to play a greater role in the United Nations, including its Security Council," the statement read.
Jaishankar, in his post, also underscored BRICS' call for amplifying the Global South's voice, a theme expected to resonate in his UNGA address today.
The meeting also expressed deep concern over the escalating trade barriers, particularly the "indiscriminate rising of tariffs and non-tariff measures," and protectionist policies that "threaten to further reduce global trade, disrupt global supply chains, and introduce uncertainty into international economic and trade activities."
The statement implicitly criticised measures like the US's recent 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods over Russian oil imports, which India has decried as coercive.
The ministers reaffirmed their commitment to a "non-discriminatory, open, equitable, transparent, fair, inclusive, and rules-based multilateral trading system" with the WTO at its core.
"The Ministers expressed concern over proliferation of trade-restrictive actions, whether in the form of indiscriminate rising of tariffs and non-tariff measures, or protectionism, in particular measures used as a means of coercion that threaten to further reduce global trade, disrupt global supply chains, and introduce uncertainty into international economic and trade activities, potentially exacerbating existing economic disparities and affecting prospects for global economic development. They voiced serious concerns about the rise of unilateral tariff and non-tariff measures which distort trade and are inconsistent with WTO rules. They cautioned against such practices that risk fragmenting global trade and marginalising the Global South," the statement added.
The BRICS meeting, attended by foreign ministers from Brazil, Russia, China, South Africa, and new members including Iran, Indonesia, the UAE, Ethiopia and Egypt, reflects the group's growing influence as a platform for the Global South.
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