Rio de Janeiro [Brazil], July 7 (ANI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held a meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit on Sunday and discussed bilateral cooperation, West Asia, the BRICS, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)

In a post on X, Jaishankar stated, 'Good to meet with FM Sergey Lavrov of Russia on the sidelines of #BRICS2025. Discussed bilateral cooperation, West Asia, BRICS and SCO.'

Earlier, Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs shared a picture of Jaishankar and Lavrov, stating that the two leaders held talks on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit.

'Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Minister of External Affairs of India @DrSJaishankar hold a meeting on the sidelines of the XVII #BRICS Summit. Rio de Janeiro, July 6,' Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted on X.

https://x.com/mfa_russia/status/1941933531325747377

The two leaders had earlier met in Johannesburg in February this year, where they had discussed the ongoing progress of bilateral cooperation between India and Russia.

Leaders of the BRICS group gathered in Rio de Janeiro to attend the 17th BRICS Summit hosted by Brazil. The BRICS summit held under Brazil's Chairmanship brought together leaders from Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, as well as new members Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the UAE, and Indonesia.

During the BRICS Summit on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted that condemning terrorism must be a 'principle' rather than a matter of 'convenience', describing it as the 'most serious challenge' for humanity in the current global scenario.

Addressing the BRICS Session on Peace and Security, PM Modi highlighted the recent terror attack in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir on April 22 as a stark reminder of terrorism's threat to global peace and called for unwavering international solidarity. He stated that the attack was a blow to the 'soul, identity, and dignity' of India, acknowledging the international support that the nation received in solidarity.'Terrorism has become the most serious challenge for humanity today.

'Recently India faced an inhuman and cowardly terrorist attack. On 22 April, the terrorist attack in Pahalgam was a direct attack on the soul, identity, and dignity of India. This attack was a blow not only to India but to the entire humanity. In this hour of grief, I express my heartfelt gratitude to the friendly countries who stood with us, who expressed support and condolences,' the PM stated.

'Condemning terrorism should be our 'principle', not just a 'convenience'. If we first see in which country the attack took place and against whom, then it would be a betrayal against humanity,' he added.

The first BRIC Summit was held in Yekaterinburg, Russia, in 2009. 4. It was agreed to expand BRIC into BRICS with the inclusion of South Africa at the BRIC Foreign Ministers' meeting in New York in 2010, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) statement. South Africa attended the third BRICS Summit in Sanya in 2011.

A further expansion of BRICS took place in 2024 with Egypt; Ethiopia; Iran;and UAE becoming full members of BRICS from January 1, 2024. In January 2025, Indonesia joined the BRICS as a full member, while Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, and Uzbekistan were inducted as partner countries of the BRICS. (ANI)