“Not regular activity”: MEA clarifies India did not participate in ‘BRICS Naval Exercise’

Source: The Tribune | Original Published At: 2026-01-17 09:15:12 UTC

Key Points

• India explicitly did not participate in the BRICS Naval Exercise, citing it as a non-institutional South African initiative.
• The exercise involved China, Russia, Iran, and South Africa, with China leading maritime drills near South Africa's coast.
• India emphasized its participation in the trilateral IBSAMAR exercise with Brazil and South Africa as its regular naval cooperation framework.
• Brazil also opted out of the BRICS Naval Exercise, while Egypt, Indonesia, and Ethiopia joined as observers.
• The drills occurred amid strained South Africa-US relations and geopolitical tensions involving BRICS members.