New Delhi [India], June 23 : National Security Adviser Ajit Doval held a series of bilateral meetings with senior security and intelligence officials from Brazil, Ethiopia and South Africa on the sidelines of the 16th BRICS National Security Advisers (NSAs) Meeting on Monday.
In a series of posts on X, the Ministry of External Affairs stated that Doval met Carlos Cozendey, Secretary of Multilateral and Political Affairs of Brazil, and the two sides welcomed cooperation between India and Brazil under the BRICS framework and also reviewed the overall state of India-Brazil bilateral relations.
"NSA Ajit Doval, KC met the Secretary of Multilateral and Political Affairs of Brazil, Carlos Cozendey on 22 June 2026 on the sidelines of the 16th BRICS NSAs Meeting. Both sides welcomed the cooperation between India and Brazil under the BRICS framework and reviewed India-Brazil bilateral relations," the post read.
MEA, in another post, said that the NSA held discussions with Million Lema Tadesse, Executive Director of Analysis at the National Intelligence and Security Service of Ethiopia. Both sides explored avenues to further enhance and deepen the India-Ethiopia Strategic Partnership.
"NSA Ajit Doval, KC met Executive Director of Analysis at the National Intelligence and Security Service of Ethiopia, Million Lema Tadesse on 22 June 2026 on the sidelines of the 16th BRICS NSAs Meeting. Both sides explored areas of cooperation to enhance and deepen the India-Ethiopia Strategic Partnership," the MEA post read.
Doval also met Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, Minister in the Presidency of South Africa, where the two sides discussed India-South Africa bilateral ties, including identifying specific areas of developmental cooperation.
According to the MEA, the two sides also exchanged views on regional and global developments during the meeting.
"NSA Ajit Doval, KC met his counterpart Ms. Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, Minister in the Presidency of South Africa, on 22 June 2026 on the sidelines of the 16th BRICS NSAs Meeting. Both sides discussed India-South Africa bilateral ties, including exploring specific areas of developmental cooperation between the two countries. Both NSAs also exchanged views on ongoing regional and global developments," the MEA stated in a separate post.
The meetings come as India is hosting the BRICS NSAs Meeting from June 22 to June 23.
As per the MEA, during the meeting, the National Security Advisers/Heads of Delegation of BRICS Member Countries exchanged views on the theme 'Non-traditional security challenges confronting the world today'.
They also discussed the rapidly evolving nature of national security challenges, as well as the role of new technologies in emerging security threats.
According to the statement, the National Security Advisers/Heads of Delegation will also review the outcomes of the recently held BRICS Joint Working Groups on Counter-Terrorism, and on Security in the use of Information and Communication Technologies.
The meeting comes as India holds the BRICS Chairship for the fourth time in 2026, having previously held it in 2012, 2016, and 2021. India's BRICS Chairship is guided by the theme "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability", reflecting a people-centric and humanity-first approach articulated by Prime Minister Modi at the 2025 Rio Summit.
NSA Doval also met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the BRICS NSAs meeting in New Delhi.
The talks, described by the Ministry of External Affairs as "constructive and forward-looking", mark another step in the ongoing effort to recalibrate the bilateral relationship between the two Asian countries.
Sharing the details of the meeting in a post on X, the MEA said, "The two sides reviewed recent developments in bilateral relations and noted progress towards gradual normalisation. NSA underlined that stable, predictable and constructive bilateral relations contribute to building trust and better understanding between the two sides. The discussions were constructive and forward-looking."