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    EYE ON INDIA                                                              MAY 22, 2026     |  The Indian Eye                    8

                BRICS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in

              New Delhi Reveals the Bloc’s Growing

            Global Influence and Internal Divisions

            The BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting in New Delhi highlighted both the growing influence of the bloc and
                 the deep internal contradictions that could shape its future in an increasingly fractured global order

            OUR BUREAU
            NEW DELHI

                  he  BRICS  Foreign  Ministers’
                  Meeting  in  New  Delhi  was
            Tmeant to showcase the growing
            confidence of the expanded grouping
            as a leading voice of the Global South.
            Instead, it ended up revealing some-
            thing far more complicated: BRICS is
            simultaneously becoming more influ-
            ential and more divided.
                Over two days of discussions in the
            Indian  capital,  foreign  ministers  and
            senior  representatives  from  BRICS
            members and partner countries spoke
            repeatedly  about  multipolarity,  fair
            global governance, economic cooper-
            ation and resistance to protectionism.
            The  official  language  was  optimistic,
            ambitious  and  forward-looking.  The
            Chair’s  Statement  described  BRICS
            as  “an  important  platform  for  dia-
            logue, diplomacy and cooperation in   External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar speaks during BRICS India 2026 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting session on ‘Reforms of Global Governance
            advancing practical solutions to com-                    and Multilateral System’, in New Delhi on Friday. (@DrSJaishankar/ANI Photo)
            mon challenges.”
                Yet  behind  the  carefully  crafted
            diplomatic language, the meeting also   extraordinary  stress.  The  Ukraine   The Chair’s Statement reflected   Agrawal highlighted the bloc’s grow-
            exposed major tensions within the bloc   war  continues  to  divide  major  pow-  this ambition clearly. Ministers not-  ing economic importance by pointing
            — tensions driven by wars, rival region-  ers.  The  conflict  involving  Iran  has   ed  that  “current  global  challenges   out  that  intra-BRICS  merchandise
            al  ambitions,  economic  competition   destabilised West Asia and disrupted   are  complex  and  interlinked”  and   trade  had  increased  from  USD  84
            and conflicting geopolitical priorities.  energy markets. Global supply chains   agreed  that  developing  countries   billion in 2003 to USD 1.17 trillion in
                The  sharp  public  confrontation   remain  vulnerable.  Protectionism  is   must  strengthen  efforts  to  promote   2024 — a thirteen-fold rise.
            between  Iran  and  the  United  Arab   rising across advanced economies.  “more just and equitable global gov-  Yet  he  also  acknowledged  the
            Emirates during the meeting became    It  is  precisely  this  atmosphere   ernance.”                 limitations.  Intra-BRICS  trade  still
            the clearest example of the contradic-  of uncertainty that has strengthened   This language has become cen-  accounts for only around 5 per cent
            tions BRICS now faces as it expands   the appeal of BRICS for many devel-  tral  to  BRICS  diplomacy.  The  bloc   of  global  trade,  revealing  both  the
            rapidly and attempts to transform it-  oping countries.             increasingly positions itself as a voice   bloc’s  current  weakness  and  future
            self from an economic grouping into a   Originally  formed  by  Brazil,   for a multipolar world where power   potential.
            major geopolitical platform.      Russia, India, China and South Af-  is more widely distributed and where   This  duality  —  impressive
                The New Delhi gathering there-  rica,  the  bloc  has  evolved  from  an   Western  dominance  over  financial,   growth  but  unrealised  ambition  —
            fore offered a glimpse into the future   economic  acronym  into  a  broad-  political  and  strategic  institutions  is   defines BRICS today.
            of BRICS: a bloc with enormous po-  er  political  coalition  representing   reduced.                        Economic Promise
            tential but also one that may struggle   emerging economies dissatisfied with   India’s role as host was especial-
            to maintain coherence as its member-  Western-dominated institutions. Ex-  ly significant because New Delhi has   ne of the strongest themes
            ship expands and global crises deepen.  pansion has accelerated this transfor-  sought to present BRICS as a practi-  emerging from the New Del-
                                              mation.  Countries  from  West  Asia,   cal platform focused not only on po- Ohi meeting was economic re-
                  A Fragmented World          Africa  and  Asia  increasingly  view   litical rhetoric but also on economic   silience.
                  he  New  Delhi  meeting  took   BRICS as an alternative diplomatic   cooperation,  trade  resilience  and   The  BRICS  countries  are  in-
                  place  at  a  time  when  the  in-  space where developing nations can   technological collaboration.  creasingly  trying  to  reduce  depen-
            Tternational  system  is  under   assert their interests more forcefully.  Commerce  Secretary  Rajesh       Continued on next page... >>

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