Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar on Friday met with the UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan on the sidelines of the Friends of BRICS gathering and discussed how to take the bilateral strategic partnership forward.

Jaishankar is here to participate in a conclave of the BRICS grouping.

"Our regular meetings and continuing conversations are helpful in taking our strategic partnership forward. Always benefit from his insights and perspectives on global politics," Jaishankar tweeted.

Sheikh Abdullah is in Cape Town to attend the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) Foreign Ministers meet in South Africa as the five-nation bloc seeks to forge itself into a counterweight to Western geopolitical dominance.

Venezuela, Argentina, Iran, Algeria, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are on a list of those who have either formally applied to join or expressed interest in joining the BRICS.

The BRICS bloc brings together five of the largest developing countries of the world, representing 41 per cent of the global population, 24 per cent of the global GDP and 16 per cent of the global trade. PTI PY AKJ PY PY

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