BRICS Foreign Ministers Meeting in New Delhi

India opened a two-day meeting of BRICS foreign ministers in New Delhi on Thursday, bringing together top diplomats from the expanded bloc and partner countries under its 2026 chairship. The gathering runs on May 14 and 15 and is being chaired by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, according to India’s Ministry of External Affairs. The meeting comes under India’s 2026 BRICS theme, “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability,” which is set out on the official BRICS India 2026 website. India formally took over the chairship from Brazil in December 2025, and the website says the presidency is being framed around resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability. BRICS now has 11 full members, according to India’s official BRICS brief. (mea.gov.in) The grouping began as BRIC and expanded first with South Africa in 2010, then with Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates from January 1, 2024, and Indonesia from January 2025. The same brief says the bloc represents about 49.5% of the global population, around 40% of global GDP and around 26% of global trade. (brics2026.gov.in) New Delhi’s agenda is split across two days. On the first day, foreign ministers of BRICS member countries are due to exchange views on global and regional issues of mutual interest. On the second day, member and partner countries are scheduled to meet in a session titled “BRICS@20: Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability,” followed by talks on reform of global governance and the multilateral system, according to India’s foreign ministry announcement. (mea.gov.in) Seyed Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s foreign minister, arrived in New Delhi on May 13 for the meeting, India’s foreign ministry said in its news updates. Sergey Lavrov of Russia and Mauro Vieira of Brazil also arrived in the Indian capital on May 13, according to the same ministry page, which also listed arrivals from partner countries including the United Arab Emirates, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam. (publicnow.com) Araghchi’s visit is also expected to include bilateral talks with Jaishankar, with regional issues in focus, according to reports citing Indian and Iranian officials. Reuters reported on May 13 that the war involving Iran was set to cast a shadow over the New Delhi meeting, while the Economic Times, citing people familiar with the matter and official statements, said the Strait of Hormuz and the wider West Asia crisis were expected to figure in discussions. (mea.gov.in) The foreign ministers’ meeting is one of the main ministerial gatherings before the next BRICS leaders’ summit later this year. India’s official BRICS brief says the 16th BRICS Summit was held in Kazan in October 2024, and ministry-linked announcements on the current meeting say the New Delhi talks follow the last foreign ministers’ meeting on the margins of the U.N. General Assembly on September 26, 2025. (msn.com) Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to receive the visiting ministers during the New Delhi program, according to India’s foreign ministry announcement. The second day on May 15 is due to include the broader BRICS-plus sessions with partner countries and the discussion on global governance reform. (publicnow.com) (mea.gov.in)