The 18th BRICS Summit is set to bring together leaders and senior delegations from across the expanded grouping in New Delhi on September 12 and 13, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi scheduled to hold a series of bilateral meetings on Friday.
The latest major development came from Beijing, where China’s foreign ministry said India and China are arranging a bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is expected to arrive in India this weekend for the summit.
China said it was willing to approach bilateral ties from a strategic and long-term perspective while strengthening communication and cooperation and properly managing differences.
PM Modi-Putin meeting today
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in New Delhi on Friday and is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Modi for wide-ranging bilateral talks.
The meeting is expected to cover areas including defence, energy, technology, pharmaceuticals, trade and people-to-people exchanges.
Putin’s visit marks his first in-person participation at a BRICS summit outside Russia since the Russia-Ukraine war began in February 2022.
Modi’s bilateral meetings
Apart from Putin, PM Modi is scheduled to meet several other world leaders and senior international officials on Friday.
His schedule includes meetings with:
- UN Secretary-General António Guterres
- Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian
- Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto
Pezeshkian is expected to hold talks with Modi at around 6:15 pm, while the meeting with Indonesian President Prabowo is scheduled later in the evening.
Iran President Pezeshkian heads to India
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian departed for India to attend the BRICS Summit, according to the Iranian embassy in India.
His visit comes as Iran participates in the expanded BRICS grouping and prepares for bilateral discussions with Indian leadership.
Jaishankar stresses economic resilience
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar addressed the opening session of the BRICS Business Forum in New Delhi on Friday, stressing the importance of economic resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability.
Jaishankar said stronger economic activity and greater economic security within BRICS would contribute to greater self-reliance.
He also called for businesses across member countries to find more partners, access new markets and connect supply networks.
Piyush Goyal calls for linked payment systems
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal urged BRICS members and partner countries to strengthen digital trade by linking their payment systems and promoting transactions in local currencies.
Goyal highlighted India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI), saying it has crossed more than 250 billion transactions a year and is accepted in 11 countries.
He urged BRICS nations to build greater connectivity between their payment systems and make digital trade more accessible.
BRICS Business Forum brings global business leaders together
The BRICS Business Forum in New Delhi is bringing together business and government leaders from member countries.
Senior executives from companies and institutions including China National Petroleum Corporation, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Huawei, Alibaba, First Abu Dhabi Bank, Emirates Airline, Etihad Airways and Embraer are expected to participate in the programme.
The Friday discussions are centred on “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.”
BRICS Summit security tightened in Delhi
Security arrangements have been significantly strengthened across the national capital ahead of the summit.
Around 15,000 Delhi Police personnel and 200 companies of paramilitary forces are expected to be deployed. More than 500 CCTV cameras, including specialised surveillance systems, have also been installed across key locations.
The Airports Authority of India has notified airspace restrictions around New Delhi from 7 am to 11 pm between September 11 and 13, restricting non-scheduled flight operations.
Tibetan nationals detained over protest
Delhi Police detained around eight to 10 Tibetan nationals from a tunnel near Pragati Maidan on Friday morning, according to PTI citing police sources.
The individuals allegedly gathered to protest against the Chinese delegation visiting New Delhi for the BRICS Summit.
Who is attending the BRICS Summit?
Several prominent leaders are expected to participate in the summit, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali and Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has already arrived in New Delhi, while other leaders and senior delegations are expected to arrive ahead of the main summit on September 12 and 13.
