India has once again emphasised the need to "bolster cooperation against terrorism without any reservations" amongst the five-nation grouping of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS).
National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval, who attended the virtual '12th Meeting of BRICS National Security Advisers and High Representatives on National Security' hosted by Chinese NSA Yang Jiechi on Wednesday also called for urgent reform of the multilateral system in order to address global issues with credibility, equity and accountability.
India welcomed the ongoing cooperation in the BRICS Counter-Terrorism Working Group and highlighted the importance of working together in the areas of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) security, especially preventing its use by terrorists.
NSA Doval also spoke on outer space and maritime security, the need to continue cooperation against the challenges of pandemics and climate change besides mentioning the importance of maintaining trusted and resilient supply chains.
The virtual meeting of the NSAs comes ahead of the BRICS Leaders' Summit scheduled to be hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping later this month.
"With profound changes in the international landscape interwoven with a pandemic unseen in a century, our world has entered a new phase of turbulence and transformation. As the current BRICS chair, China looks forward to working with fellow BRICS members to achieve positive results through this meeting, further consolidate political mutual trust, deepen political and security cooperation, uphold the five countries’ security and development interests, and contribute to world peace and stability," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said during his daily media briefing in Beijing on Wednesday.
Russia also said today that it supports the "attitude of the leadership of the region" to expand the geography of mutually beneficial cooperation.
"We do our best to promote the development of relations with partners from the BRICS countries – China, India, South Africa, as well as Serbia, Turkey," said Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova in Saint Petersburg on Wednesday.
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