BRICS Summit to Begin with Push for Stronger Multilateralism
PM Modi to host gala dinner for BRICS leaders as India seeks consensus on global governance and a unified summit declaration
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will host a gala dinner for leaders attending the BRICS Summit on Saturday evening, the government announced on Wednesday, as India prepares to host the 18th edition of the grouping in New Delhi on September 12 and 13.
The summit will formally begin earlier on Saturday at Bharat Mandapam, where Modi will welcome the leaders of BRICS member countries. The leaders will then participate in a closed door session titled “Inclusive Global Governance and Strengthening Multilateralism.”
India is hosting the summit exactly two decades after the grouping was formally institutionalised. BRICS currently comprises 11 major emerging economies and has increasingly emerged as a platform for discussions on global economic cooperation, governance and developing-country priorities.
Following the opening session, the participating leaders are scheduled to visit the Bharat Innovates exhibition at the summit venue. They will subsequently gather on the outside lawns for a BRICS family photograph, followed by a joint tree plantation programme.
Modi is also expected to hold a formal bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday, with the two leaders likely to discuss ways to consolidate the recent improvement in India-China relations.
Xi’s proposed visit would mark his return to India since his last trip in 2019, when he attended the informal summit with Modi in Mamallapuram. Beijing had not formally announced Xi’s visit as of Wednesday.
The Prime Minister is scheduled to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday. He is also expected to hold talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. The United Arab Emirates is likely to be represented by Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
For India, one of the key challenges ahead of the summit will be achieving consensus among members on the situation in West Asia. Differences over the conflict and regional developments could complicate efforts to produce a unified declaration at the conclusion of the meetings.
On the second day of the summit, Sunday, Modi will welcome leaders from the 10 BRICS partner countries as well as other invited participants. They will take part in the concluding session, titled “Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability: Shaping the Future for Inclusive Global Growth.”
The summit is expected to provide Modi with an opportunity to reiterate India’s call for a stronger, more representative and effective global governance system. New Delhi has consistently advocated reforms to international institutions to better reflect the realities of the contemporary world.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has previously stressed the need for the grouping to support reformed multilateralism, including reforms that make institutions such as the United Nations, World Trade Organization, International Monetary Fund and World Bank more representative and inclusive.
Against the backdrop of geopolitical tensions, economic uncertainty and conflicts in different regions, India is expected to use the two-day gathering to promote greater cooperation among emerging economies while pushing for reforms in the existing international order.
The summit will bring together leaders and representatives from the BRICS members, partner countries and invited nations, with discussions expected to cover global governance, economic cooperation, sustainability, innovation and other shared international challenges.
