Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed attends Brics meeting in South Africa

Minister of Foreign Affairs meets representatives of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa at gathering

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs, meets India's External Affairs Minister Subramanyam Jaishankar on the sidelines of the 'Friends of Brics' meeting in Cape Town, South Africa. All photos: Wam

Sheikh Abdullah with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov

Sheikh Abdullah represented the Emirates during talks with foreign ministers from the Brics group of nations

Sheikh Abdullah with Mr Lavrov and other ministers

Sheikh Abdullah speaks with Hossein Amirabdollahian, Iran's Minister of Foreign Affairs, on the sidelines of the Brics meeting

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs, has set out the UAE's aims to help strengthen peace and security around the globe during an international gathering in South Africa.

Sheikh Abdullah represented the Emirates during talks with foreign ministers from the Brics group of nations in Cape Town on Friday.

Brics is an acronym of the group's founding members of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

It is viewed by some as an alternative to the firmly established G7 group of developed countries.

The Friends of Brics meeting featured the five member states and other countries, including the UAE and Iran.

Russian meeting

Sheikh Abdullah held talks with Sergey Lavrov, Russia's Minister of Foreign Affairs, on the sidelines of the meeting, state news agency Wam reported.

They discussed the long-standing friendship and strategic partnership between their nations and explored ways to further bolster these ties.

They also reviewed and exchanged views on a number of regional and international issues.

Sheikh Abdullah stressed that UAE-Russia relations were built on solid foundations of understanding, mutual respect and constructive co-operation.

He said links were growing quickly, particularly following the signing of a strategic partnership in 2018.

He said both nations were keen to develop these relations and advance co-operation across a number of areas.

Sheikh Abdullah expressed the UAE's desire to enhance ties with Brics countries and support unilateral action aimed at supporting international development, cementing peace and security and paving the way for a prosperous future for generations to come.

India talks

During the gathering, Sheikh Abdullah also met India's External Affairs Minister Subramanyam Jaishankar and Hossein Amirabdollahian, Iran's Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Sheikh Abdullah and Mr Jaishankar discussed the growing UAE-India alliance, bolstered by a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement signed in May 2022.

They spoke of the significance of the Cepa in supporting economic prosperity in both nations.

The ministers also touched on issues of common interest on the agenda of the Brics meeting and ways of strengthening co-operation between the UAE and the group.

Sheikh Abdullah affirmed that the UAE and India were linked by solid historical and strategic relations.

He said that the signing of the UAE-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership agreement in 2017 and the Cepa last year have helped to solidify growth in a number of fields.

He noted that the volume of non-oil trade exchange between the two countries rose to Dh189 billion last year.