New Delhi: The escalating crisis in West Asia and its impact on the global energy supply chain are expected to dominate deliberations at a two-day meeting of BRICS foreign ministers to be hosted by India beginning Thursday.
While Tehran has confirmed Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s attendance, sources said his plans could undergo changes if there is a sudden escalation in the regional conflict.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will skip the New Delhi conclave to remain in Beijing for US President Donald Trump’s three-day state visit, which coincides with the BRICS gathering.
Chinese Ambassador to India Xi Feihong will attend the meeting on Wang’s behalf, Beijing announced on Tuesday.
The BRICS foreign ministers will call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the first day of the conclave.
Foreign ministers of several BRICS member states including Russia’s Sergey Lavrov have already confirmed their participation at the meeting New Delhi, the sources said.
India, as the chair of the BRICS, is hosting the conclave of the foreign ministers ahead of the annual summit of the grouping in September.
It will be interesting to see if the foreign ministerial conclave manages to produce a consensus statement on the conflict in West Asia.
Sharp differences among the member states over the US-Israel war on Iran stalled India’s efforts to build a consensus position on the conflict during a meeting of the grouping’s deputy foreign ministers and special envoys on Middle East and North America last month.
No consensus statement on the conflict could be reached largely due to differences between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Iran. The two neighbouring countries have sparred in recent weeks over Iran’s alleged attacks on energy infrastructure in the UAE.
The West Asia conflict and its impact on energy supplies are expected to figure prominently at the BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting, the sources cited above said.
After the West Asia conflict escalated, Iran urged India, as the current BRICS chair, to leverage its “independent role” to halt the US-Israel hostilities against Iran.
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).
BRICS, originally comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, expanded in 2024 to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates, with Indonesia joining in 2025.
It has emerged as an influential grouping as it brings together 11 major emerging economies of the world, representing around 49.5 per cent of the global population, around 40 per cent of the global GDP and around 26 per cent of the global trade.
The BRICS meeting will be chaired by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
“BRICS foreign ministers and heads of delegation from member and partner countries will participate in the meeting. They will also call on the prime minister of India, Narendra Modi,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Tuesday.
It said the foreign ministers will exchange views on “global and regional issues of mutual interest”.
The BRICS member and partner countries will participate in a session themed “BRICS@20: Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability” on May 15.
It will be followed by a session on the “Reforms of Global Governance and Multilateral System”, according to the MEA.
The BRICS foreign ministers held their last meeting on the margins of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 80) in September last.
The meeting was chaired by India in its capacity as the incoming BRICS chair for 2026.
PTI
