New Delhi [India], February 12 (ANI): Former senior Indian diplomat Vidya Bhushan Soni said that the meeting between Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and Executive Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of China Ma Zhaoxu yesterday was an important one, as the country prepares to chair the upcoming session.

Soni, in a conversation with ANI, said that the meeting was important at a time when efforts are being made by some interested parties to bring down the importance of BRICS. He highlighted India's commitment to multilateral diplomacy and stated that BRICS remains a significant platform, especially for India as one of its founding members. Referring to the role of China within the BRICS framework, the former diplomat stated that China has come to recognise the importance of India's active participation and leadership.

He said, 'It is very important that they have come up with this kind of approach. I think that is a sensible approach. Please bear in mind that India will be chairing the BRICS session, so we will be steering the deliberations in various sectors. Ever since the last BRICS Summit there have been such far-reaching changes on the international scene.'

'Efforts are being made by some interested parties to bring down the importance of BRICS. But India is committed to multilateral diplomacy. For us, BRICS is important because we are one of the Founding Members of that. I think China has realised that BRICS without India's active participation and leadership role can't really get anywhere... So, they took the initiative of coming and before our Chairmanship starts, we agree on various points so that there is no divergence of view and there is commonality so that we can move forward,' he added.

On February 10, Ma Zhaoxu, Executive Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of China, held a new round of China-India Strategic Dialogue with Vikram Misri, Foreign Secretary of India, in New Delhi.

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Both sides had friendly, candid and in-depth communication on the international and regional situation, respective internal and external policies, international and regional issues of shared interest, and China-India relations.

Both sides underlined that given the complex and profound changes in the international situation, China and India should work together to earnestly implement the important common understandings reached between President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, view and handle China-lndia relations from a strategic and long-term perspective, and uphold the strategic perception that China and India are cooperative partners instead of rivals, and the two countries are each other's development opportunity instead of threat.

China and India should deepen mutual trust and expand cooperation, properly manage differences, and promote the development of China-India relations along a sound and steady track.

Both sides agreed to support each other's work as the BRICS Chair for 2026 and 2027. Both sides also agreed to support multilateralism and the central role of the United Nations, strengthen unity and cooperation among the Global South, safeguard international fairness and justice, work together for a multipolar world, and make contributions to peace and development in Asia and the world at large. (ANI)