Onlykashmir.in News Desk
India is set to host the 18th BRICS Summit beginning this Saturday at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, a two day gathering that will bring together eleven major emerging and developing economies at a moment when the bloc’s global weight continues to grow.
The Summit will convene member nations Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, India, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the UAE, while Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Vietnam will take part as BRICS Partner Countries, reflecting the grouping’s expanding footprint well beyond its original five member core. Collectively, BRICS nations represent close to 49 per cent of the world’s population and roughly 40 per cent of global GDP, figures that underline why the bloc has become an increasingly consequential forum in global economic diplomacy.
The guest list for the Summit reads as a roll call of major world leaders. Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed al Nahyan, are all expected to attend, alongside Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali. Brazil will be represented by Foreign Affairs Minister Mauro Vieira, while Saudi Arabia’s delegation will be led by Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud.
Proceedings begin on Saturday with a closed session for BRICS member countries focused on inclusive global governance and strengthening multilateralism, before leaders view the Bharat Innovates Exhibition at Bharat Mandapam and take part in a joint tree plantation, followed by a gala dinner hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Prime Minister is also expected to hold a series of bilateral meetings with visiting leaders on the sidelines. On Sunday, Modi will welcome leaders of the BRICS Partner Countries and Outreach Invitees for a session themed around resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability, shaping the future for inclusive global growth, the same four pillars that have anchored India’s chairship through the year.
Preparations across the capital are in full swing, with Putin and Xi Jinping expected to arrive in Delhi ahead of the Summit. The Ministry of External Affairs has been coordinating closely with the Home Ministry and Delhi Police on logistics, with around 15,000 Delhi Police personnel and 200 companies of paramilitary forces deployed citywide, alongside specialised surveillance cameras placed along routes used by visiting dignitaries. Since assuming the chairship, India has hosted more than 350 meetings, including gatherings of BRICS Foreign Ministers, National Security Advisers, Sherpa and Head of Agency level meetings, and business to business engagements, setting the stage for what officials describe as a consequential edition of the Summit.
