Across 350 meetings, India’s diplomatic machinery utilized the Sherpa track and sectoral working groups to maintain dialogue among BRICS members.
India’s 2026 BRICS chairship was characterized by a highly active institutional calendar, spanning more than 350 meetings over eight months.
This extensive engagement was designed to keep the diverse eleven-nation bloc actively cooperating across multiple tracks.
The diplomatic roadmap was established early at the first BRICS Sherpas’ and Sous-Sherpas’ meeting in New Delhi on February 9-10, chaired by India’s BRICS Sherpa, Secretary (Economic Relations) Sudhakar Dalela. Notably, this meeting marked the first time a partner country, Belarus, participated in the Sherpa-level format.
The Sherpa track proved vital for managing internal differences. On March 12, as regional tensions in West Asia escalated, the Ministry of External Affairs convened a virtual meeting of BRICS Sherpas specifically to address the situation.
This followed acknowledgment from MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal that forging consensus within the grouping had become difficult.
Security coordination also advanced steadily. The 11th BRICS Counter Terrorism Working Group met in New Delhi in May, marking a decade since its inception.
This was followed by a meeting of National Security Advisers in June, where officials including India’s Ajit Doval, China’s Wang Yi, and Russia’s Sergey Shoigu reviewed security output before meeting with Prime Minister Modi. Through these sustained institutional channels, India ensured that dialogue continued despite broader geopolitical complexities.
