India will host the BRICS foreign ministers meeting on 14th and 15th of this month. The meeting will be chaired by External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar. Briefing media in New Delhi today, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that BRICS foreign ministers and heads of delegations from member and partner countries will participate in the meeting. He added that they will also call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Mr Jaiswal said that during the meeting, the foreign ministers of BRICS member countries will exchange views on global and regional issues of mutual interest.
Speaking about India’s relations with Nepal, Mr Jaiswal said that India shares multifaceted relations with Nepal. He added that after the elections in Nepal, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had congratulated and spoken to the Prime Minister of Nepal Balendra Shah. Mr Jaiswal highlighted that this conveys India’s steadfast commitment to building upon the strong India-Nepal friendship and traditional ties. He added that both sides are now working closely to further deepen the partnership. He also informed that External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar had recently met his Nepalese counterpart Shishir Khanal in Mauritius. He said that India has received an invitation for Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri’s visit to Nepal and dates will be finalised as per the mutual convenience of both sides.
Talking about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to UAE, Mr Jaiswal said that during the visit there will be talks on energy security. He also said that India shares multifaceted ties with UAE and energy security is an essential part of it. He added that there will also be talks on increasing trade and investment between the two countries. Talking about Mr Modi’s visits to Norway, Sweden Italy and Netherlands, Mr Jaiswal said that these countries are also the centres for innovation and clean energy technologies and discussions on these matters will be held during the Prime Minister’s visit.
Replying to question on reports regarding China’s support to Pakistan during Operation Sindoor, Mr Jaiswal said that these reports corroborate what was known earlier. He said that Operation Sindoor was a precise, targeted and calibrated response to the terrorist attacks in Pahalgam, aimed at destroying state sponsored terrorist infrastructure operating out of Pakistan and at its behest. Mr Jaiswal said that it is for nations who consider themselves responsible to reflect whether supporting attempts to protect terrorist infrastructure affects their reputation and standing.
Mr Jaiswal said that as per the India’s neighbourhood first policy, the country has been supplying energy products to the countries in the neighbourhood. India continue to support these countries with energy supplies. On US President Donald Trump’s China visit, Mr Jaiswal said that India has a partnership with a lot of nations. He added that India’s international relations are strong.
