Ministerof External Affairs S Jaishankar will participate in the standalone meeting ofthe BRICS Foreign Ministers scheduled to be held in Rio de Janeiro in Brazilfrom July 25 to 26.
Thiswould be Jaishankar's first engagement with the BRICS foreign ministers sinceassuming charge in May.
In astatement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday, itstated that BRICS Foreign Ministers' meet twice annually and one meeting ishosted by the BRICS chair as a standalone meeting while the other meeting isheld on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
TheExternal Affairs Minister is expected to discuss the preparation for the 11thBRICKS Summit of the leaders slated to be held in Brasilia in November, 2019among others during the session.
TheMEA statement also said that India attaches high importance to its engagementwith BRICS and has continued to engage BRICS at the highest levels. "We believethat BRICS has emerged as a valuable forum for consultation, coordination andcooperation on contemporary global issues of mutual interest and has helpedpromote mutual understanding," the statement read.