New Delhi is preparing to host the 18th BRICS Leaders’ Summit on September 12 and 13, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi set to welcome leaders from the expanded grouping as well as partner and outreach countries.
India is chairing BRICS this year, with the summit scheduled at Bharat Mandapam. Discussions will focus on multilateralism, trade, investment, energy and food security, supply chains and global governance.
Leaders from 11 BRICS nations
The main leaders’ programme will begin on Saturday, September 12, with representatives of all 11 BRICS members expected to participate.
The leaders listed to attend include Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, are also expected.
Brazil will be represented by Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira.
The other full members of BRICS are India, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Partner and outreach countries
The summit programme on Sunday, September 13, will also include leaders from BRICS partner and outreach countries.
The expected attendees include Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Ugandan Vice-President Jessica Alupo are also expected to participate.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres is among the top international officials expected at the summit.
Modi to address BRICS Business Forum
Before the leaders’ summit, Modi will address the BRICS Business Forum in New Delhi on Friday, September 11.
The forum is expected to bring together senior corporate leaders from China, Russia, Brazil, the UAE and other BRICS nations. Piyush Goyal and S Jaishankar are expected to address the opening session.
A large Chinese business delegation is also in India for the event. Among those expected are CNPC chairman Houliang Dai, ICBC chairman Lin Liao and China COSCO Shipping Corporation chairman Min Wan. Senior executives from Huawei Technologies and Alibaba Group are also expected.
BRICS was formed in 2006 by Brazil, Russia, India and China. South Africa joined in 2010, followed by Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the UAE in 2024. Indonesia subsequently became a full member, taking the grouping to 11 countries.