New Delhi will be in focus as it is hosting the BRICS Foreign Ministers Meeting today, May 14. This significant gathering comes into focus amid the escalating West Asia crisis. India officially assumed the BRICS Chairmanship on January 1 this year, taking over from Brazil. This marks the fourth time India has held the presidency of the influential bloc, having previously hosted summits in 2012, 2016, and 2021.
BRICS, originally comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, expanded in 2024 to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the UAE, with Indonesia joining in 2025.
Who is attending the BRICS Foreign Ministers Meeting?
Khalifa Shaheen Al Marar (UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs), Sugiono (Indonesian Foreign Minister), Abbas Araghchi (Iranian Foreign Minister), Gedion Timothewos (Ethiopian Foreign Minister), Sihasak Phuangketkeow (Thailand Deputy PM and Foreign Minister), Bruno RodrÃguez Parrilla (Cuban Foreign Minister), Nguyen Minh Hang (Vietnam Deputy Foreign Minister), and Xu Feihong (Chinese Ambassador to India).
What's on the agenda?
The focus on the BRICS ministers' meeting is expected to surround the escalating crisis in West Asia, and the situation surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, impacting the global energy supply chain, is expected to dominate deliberations at the BRICS foreign ministers' meeting.
Due to the war, global oil and gas prices have surged after Iran virtually blocked the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow shipping lane between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman that handles roughly 20 per cent of global oil and LNG (liquefied natural gas).
Not just this, with Khalifa Shaheen Al Marar (UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs) and Abbas Araghchi (Iranian Foreign Minister) are present at the meeting, which is expected to see discussions on key geopolitical issues and regional tensions.
Bilateral engagements on the sidelines
The visit of Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is also expected to include bilateral discussions with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, focusing on regional developments and broader diplomatic cooperation amid the ongoing crisis in West Asia.
