EAM Jaishankar to Meet Chinese, Russian Counterparts at Cape Town BRICS Foreign Ministers' Summit

Foreign minister S Jaishankar is likely to meet Chinese counterpart Qin Gang and Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on June 1 and June 2 as he travels to South Africa to attend the BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting.

South Africa is the current chair of the BRICS and is holding the foreign ministers’ meeting in capital Cape Town.

The South African minister of international relations and cooperation, Dr Naledi Pandor, will host the Meeting of BRICS Ministers of Foreign Affairs and International Relations.

“The mid-term meeting provides an opportunity for BRICS Foreign Ministers to reflect on regional and global developments. Minister Pandor, as the Chair of the BRICS Ministerial Meeting, will continue with the policy of inclusive engagement by inviting 15 Foreign Ministers from Africa and the global south to a “Friends of BRICS” meeting to be held on 02 June 2023. The ministerial meetings will be preceded by the meeting of Sherpas and Sous- Sherpas from 29-30 May 2023,” the South African government said in a press release.

Jaishankar is expected to emphasise the importance of universally respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states, without any exceptions during the meeting which aims to firm up the agenda for the leadership summit which will be held in August.

The bilateral meetings with Gang and Lavrov will be held on the sidelines. Jaishankar and Gang have met on several occasions this year. They met during the SCO foreign ministers’ meeting in Goa and also met during the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in New Delhi.

The meetings between both of these leaders are important because it is likely that Chinese President Xi Jinping may visit India twice this year for the SCO Leadership Summit and G20 Summit. The relationship between both of these nations have entered into a rough patch due to Chinese assertiveness in the LAC areas and its unwillingness to effectively disengage.

Jaishankar has stated on several occasions that peace on the border is necessary for normal bilateral relations.

The foreign minister will also use the meeting to raise issues faced by the countries of the Global South and highlight how climate change impacts these nations. He will also discuss the need for reforms in the UN.

(with inputs from Shalinder Wangu)