India Skips BRICS Naval Exercise Near South Africa, MEA Clarifies Non-Regular Status

Source: Livemint | Original Published At: 2026-01-17 09:36:49 UTC

Key Points

• India did not participate in the South Africa-initiated naval exercise involving some BRICS members, citing it as non-regular and non-institutional.
• MEA clarified India's participation in the trilateral IBSAMAR exercise (with Brazil and South Africa) as its primary maritime cooperation framework.
• South Africa described the exercise as a response to global maritime tensions, involving China, Russia, and Iran.