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The UAE Ministry of Foreign Trade said its minister led the country’s delegation to the 2026 BRICS Trade Ministers Meeting hosted by India in the city of Jaipur. Dr Thani Bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi engaged in bilateral talks with trade ministers from India, China, Egypt, Indonesia, South Africa and Russia to explore ways of expanding cooperation across key sectors. He also used the occasion to express serious concerns about attacks on commercial vessels and the ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz, pressing for its unconditional reopening in accordance with international norms.
According to the ministry, trade between the UAE and BRICS countries grew to more than 312 billion dollars in non-oil foreign trade during 2025. This represented a 28.5 percent increase from 243 billion dollars in 2024 and made up 31 percent of the UAE’s overall non-oil trade that year. The BRICS grouping, expanded to include the UAE from January 2024 and Indonesia from January 2025, accounts for roughly 40 percent of the global population, brics2026.gov.in data shows.
Al Zeyoudi met with India’s Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal to assess implementation of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement that has been in force since May 2022. Non-oil bilateral trade with India climbed to 76.2 billion dollars in 2025, an increase of 17.3 percent from the prior year. The two sides agreed to pursue further collaboration in digital commerce, logistics and ensuring food security.
The ministry reported that the meeting agenda included enhancing trade resilience and empowering MSMEs in the face of digital transformation. Trade ministers ultimately did not reach agreement on a joint declaration. Al Zeyoudi said, “At a time of heightened uncertainty in global trade, cooperation between emerging markets and developing economies is more important than ever. The UAE views BRICS as an important platform for strengthening economic cooperation and supporting an open and predictable trading environment. Our engagement in Jaipur reinforced the strength of the UAE’s economic relationships with fellow BRICS members, and we are committed to translating these discussions into tangible outcomes for businesses and communities.”
The ministry outlined how the BRICS participation fits within the UAE’s wider trade strategy built around its CEPA framework. Since the program’s launch in September 2021, the UAE has signed 38 such agreements, 18 of which are currently active including those with BRICS members India and Indonesia. These efforts back an official target to expand non-oil foreign trade to 1.1 trillion dollars by 2031.
Last month the UAE and Canada completed negotiations for a CEPA, the fastest such conclusion since the initiative began, according to the Ministry of Foreign Trade. Bilateral trade between the two countries reached 4.2 billion dollars in 2025 after expanding 21 percent from the year before. The new pact is designed to reduce tariffs and open markets once it enters into force.
