India on Monday urged for support from Russia, China, South Africa and Brazil to create a new security forum to counter terrorism and radicalisation.
Speaking at the BRICS Foreign Ministers meeting, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said that the forum could be realised through an understanding among the National Security Advisors (NSAs) of the member countries of the grouping.
Common ground
“It is imperative now that the common ground reached in our NSAs’ meeting on setting up a BRICS security forum is implemented fully,” said Ms. Swaraj in a statement in the meeting of the Foreign Ministers in Johannesberg.
Apart from the Indian External Affairs Minister, the meeting is being attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and South African Minister of International Affairs Lindiwe Sisulu.
Brazil is represented at the meeting by Vice-Foreign Minister Marcos Galvao.
The National Security Advisers of the BRICS member states have a dialogue mechanism to counter radicalisation, terrorism, money laundering and other international crimes.
Ms. Swaraj also emphasised the contribution of the BRICS countries in ensuring stability in a world faced with growing insecurity and said, “Our meeting today takes place at a time when multilateralism, international trade, and rules based world order face strong head-winds.”
Johannesburg meet
The statement from the Indian Minister came weeks before the Indian leadership’s meeting with the Russian and the Chinese leaders at the Qingdao summit of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and the next BRICS summit in two months which will be held in Johannesburg.
During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent meetings with President Vladimir Putin and President Xi Jinping, India had expressed willingness to intensify work with the BRICS member- states to address pressing issues of collective concern.
