Foreign ministers from the BRICS group of developing economies discussed measures to strengthen the regional and international collaboration among the five nations.

Top ambassadors from Argentina, Egypt, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates later joined Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.

The meeting, which was held virtually under Chinese chairmanship, focused on "strengthening the collective approach to global affairs, regional conflicts, battling new threats and challenges," and the  "outlooks for five-nation cooperation," according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.

The diplomats discussed "furthering intra-BRICS cooperation on the three pillars of political and security, economic and finance and people-to-people and cultural exchanges," according to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, and endorsed the UN health agency in its fight against the pandemic.

The ministers also reviewed the situation in Ukraine and backed Russia-Ukraine negotiations. Sergey Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, informed the ministers on the situation in Ukraine, including the Russian military campaign to wrest authority from nationalist groups.

BRICS countries call for strengthening arms control system

The foreign ministers of BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) urged strengthening the system of treaties in the field of arms control and disarmament.

In the joint statement, the ministers called “to continue to make efforts in strengthening the system of treaties and agreements in the field of arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation, to ensure its integrity, to maintain global stability, international peace and security."

The ministers also discussed the Ukrainian conflict and expressed support for Russian-Ukrainian talks, expressing concern about the conflict's impact on energy and food security.

It is worth mentioning that China hosted the meeting of the BRICS Ministers of Foreign Affairs on May 19 through video conference. 

The meeting was hosted by China’s State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and attended by India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor, Brazil’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Carlos Alberto Franco França, and Russia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov.