New Delhi: National Security Advisor Ajit Doval officially opened the 16th BRICS National Security Advisers’ Meeting in New Delhi on Tuesday, bringing together security heads and high-level dignitaries from all 11 full member nations. The high-profile gathering assumes heightened global significance as member states look to address mounting security threats, global fragmentation, and the rapidly changing landscape of cross-border risks.
Welcoming the international delegates, Doval hailed the expanded BRICS bloc as a highly unique and special coalition of countries bound by a shared belief in global peace, steady progress, and mutual development. He expressed great satisfaction over the steady growth of the bloc, emphasizing that the member and partner economies are uniquely positioned to play an increasingly decisive role on the world stage.
The National Security Advisor noted that the contemporary world is heavily beleaguered by escalating military conflicts, economic strains, and complex security vulnerabilities. He directly warned that while these multidimensional threats are rapidly compounding, traditional global instruments and institutional mechanisms are increasingly finding themselves inadequate to resolve or mitigate such intense frictions. He strongly lamented that multilateralism is on the steep decline, emphasizing that the BRICS platform must work cohesively to bridge these widening governance gaps.
Doval traced the evolution of BRICS from its initial conception as an informal economic grouping into a robust, institutionalized driver of a multipolar world order. He reaffirmed that the bloc remains deeply dedicated to advancing comprehensive economic cooperation, executing global governance reforms, and championing the collective voice of the Global South.
The meeting marks India’s fourth time steering the rotating BRICS Chairship, following its previous presidencies in 2012, 2016, and 2021. This year’s proceedings are anchored under the strategic theme of Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability. This guiding philosophy directly reflects the people-centric, humanity-first framework championed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the recent Rio Summit.
The 16th conclave witnessed robust participation from key security leaders, including Brazilian Secretary of Multilateral Political Affairs Carlos Marcio Bicalho Cozendey, Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu, and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Other prominent attendees included South African Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, UAE Supreme Council for National Security Secretary-General Ali Mohammed Hammad Al Shamsi, and Egypt’s State Information Service Head Alaa Youssef. Senior security officials from Iran, Indonesia, and Ethiopia also participated in the high-level dialogues and joined the customary group photograph marking the commencement of the summit.
