India positive on Brics expansion, but seeks wider consultations: S Jaishankar

INTERNATIONAL DESK: India sought wider consultations among all the stakeholders and expressed positive support for China’s proposal to expand Brics, said officials aware of the matter. The two agendas at the Brics summit in South Africa included plans to expand the membership of Brics, and a common currency.

The Brics grouping is not only an expression of multipolarity but of the many ways of meeting international challenges, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Friday, asserting that the five-nation bloc is an “established feature” of the global landscape.

Addressing the Friends of BRICS Foreign Ministers’ meeting, Jaishankar stated that the message of reform that Brics embodies must permeate the world of multilateralism.

“Brics is no longer an ‘alternative’, it is an established feature of the global landscape,” he tweeted-.He said the five-nation grouping comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa is not only an expression of multipolarity but of the many and diverse ways of meeting international challenges.

“Its focus is on building a fairer, inclusive and open international architecture with sustainable development at its core. “Creating resilient and reliable supply chains is central to ensuring that no one is left behind,” he tweeted. Jaishankar said the ‘Friends of BRICS’ strongly support the reform of the United Nations Security Council. (The Economic Times)