National Security Advisor Doval Attends BRICS NSA Meet

National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval on Monday attended the meetings of the NSAs of the BRICS member states in the South African capital of Johannesburg.

The meeting is chaired by South African minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni. Russian NSA Nikolai Patrushev, Chinese diplomat Wang Yi and other NSAs from member countries and friends of BRICS were also invited to attend the summit.

“This is a time for us to seek resilience and extend friendship to our people and it is for that reason that South Africa deemed it fit to invite the friends of BRICS to join us so that we can converse as a family on this day and charter a way forward,” Ntshavheni said, referring to the ‘Friends of BRICS’ group which also includes Iran, Belarus and the UAE.

It is unclear if Doval will have bilateral meetings with Wang Yi or Nikolai Patrushev.

During the meeting, the NSAs are exploring how to develop a security cooperation mechanism for the BRICS nations amid several geopolitical security threats. The NSA will also discuss traditional and non-traditional security threats in a coordinated manner, build solidarity and coordinate

traditional and non-traditional security threats in a coordinated manner, enhance solidarity and coordinate development for the fundamental benefit of members and the international community, the Economic Times said in a report.

In the last edition of the NSA meeting in 2022, Doval urged that terrorism should be tackled without any reservations. Doval also urged that the multilateral system needs urgent reforms to address global issue with credibility.

The war in Ukraine and how to approach the issue of ‘de-dollarization’ will be put forth by China and Russia in the BRICS NSA meeting. The BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting was held in June. The BRICS summit will be held next month in the South African capital of Johannesburg at the Sandton Convention Centre in Sandton, Johannesburg from August 22 to August 24.