(MENAFN- IANS) Rio de Janeiro, July 6 (IANS) Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, during her meetings with BRICS counterparts here, discussed issues of bilateral cooperation, including cooperation in multiple sectors to further strengthen strategic partnerships, according to an official statement.

In her meeting with Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov on the sidelines of the 'BRICS Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors' meeting, she discussed India-Russia long-standing partnership.

FM Sitharaman also expressed gratitude for the support extended by President Vladimir Putin after the Pahalgam terror attack, according to a Finance Ministry post on X social media platform.

“The Union Finance Minister observed that India and Russia enjoy exemplary levels of mutual trust and understanding and our Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership remains resilient and steadfast,” the ministry informed.

She also congratulated Russia for its successful Chairship of the BRICS in 2024 and said that India will continue to leverage the BRICS platform to build South-South cooperation in areas of common interest. They also discussed modalities of various initiatives recently taken up in BRICS.

The two sides also discussed issues of bilateral cooperation, including cooperation in the financial sector, along with matters related to the New Development Bank (NDB).

FM Sitharaman met Fernando Haddad, Finance Minister of Brazil, and discussed issues of mutual interest, including, South-South cooperation, amplifying the voice of the Global South, COP30 and climate finance issues, and engagement in regional and global forums such as the United Nations, G20, BRICS, WTO and IBSA.

Appreciating the deep work by Brazil during its BRICS Chairship, including commitment to a multipolar world order, and expansion of BRICS, the finance minister said India supports the agenda and priorities set by Brazil, and hopes to carry forward the outcome-oriented cooperation when India takes over the Chairship in January 2026.

FM Sitharaman said that India and Brazil, as strategic partners, share warm and cordial ties spanning across multiple sectors, and are cooperating closely in multiple sectors to further strengthen strategic partnership.

In her meeting with Lan Fo'an, Finance Minister of China, the finance minister underlined that India and China are uniquely positioned to drive inclusive global growth and innovation as the two nations are the largest and fastest-growing economies in the world.

She highlighted that India and China can strengthen collaboration across a wide range of areas due to the common rich human capital, deep civilisational ties, and expanding economic influence, according to the ministry.

The finance minister suggested that deeper engagement between the two countries can help to amplify the voice of developing economies, and shape global narratives that reflect the priorities and aspirations of the Global South.

-IANS

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