India on Monday wholeheartedly welcomed Egypt, Iran, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Ethiopia joining the BRICS as their representatives attended for the first time a key meeting of the grouping hosted by Russia.
Senior diplomat Dammu Ravi led the Indian delegation at the BRICS Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Nizhny Novgorod, in western Russia.
"A significant meeting in the format of expanded BRICS family. India wholeheartedly welcomes the new membership," the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs Randhir Jaiswal posted on X.