The BRICS group of major emerging economies – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – will hold its 18th heads-of-state and government summit in New Delhi on September 12 and 13. With the highly anticipated BRICS summit approaching, the world is closely watching how the event will unfold.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian are among the world leaders who will arrive in New Delhi for the BRICS summit. Chinese leader Xi Jinping is also widely expected to attend the BRICS summit before visiting the U.S. for a summit meeting with President Donald Trump later this month. The UAE will be represented by Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Brazil will be represented by its Foreign Affairs Minister, Mauro Vieira. South African President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa, Ugandan Vice President Jessica Alupo, NDB President Dilma Rousseff, Nigerian Vice President Sen. Kashim Shettima, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali, and Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye will also participate in the summit. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, Vietnam Prime Minister Le Minh Hung and Philippines President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. will also be in Delhi to attend the BRICS summit. Uruguay’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Mario Lubetkin, and Director-General of WHO, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, will also attend the summit. Cuba’s Foreign Affairs Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla, WTO Director-General Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Foreign Affairs Minister of Belarus Maxim Ryzhenkov, Bahrain’s Foreign Affairs Minister Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud will also be part of the summit. India is heading to the summit with a focus on strengthening supply chains, cooperation in trade, cross-border payments, technology and artificial intelligence, energy, development finance and global governance reform. Collaborations in agriculture, innovation, and health are expected to be highlighted, as indicated by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar when he presented India’s priority areas at the BRICS Foreign Ministers meeting. Discussions on clean energy and sustainable growth are also expected to be on the agenda. Cross-border payments are expected to gain significant focus in New Delhi, as India advocates for increased utilisation of national currencies in trade.
