Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a jam-packed three-day schedule during the BRICS Summit at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, which ended on Sunday. Alongside the main summit, Modi met leaders from at least 15 countries for bilateral talks, including the presidents of China, Russia and Iran.
The prime minister’s engagements went beyond the bilateral meetings. Modi called for an end to the war in Ukraine and reiterated India’s position that dialogue and diplomacy are the way forward. The two leaders also reviewed cooperation in the economic, defence, and energy sectors, as well as issues related to the movement of workers. Later in the day, Modi met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian at Bharat Mandapam, marking their second meeting in two weeks. The prime minister called for the West Asia conflict to be resolved through dialogue and stressed the need for continued efforts to keep navigation routes open and protect seafarers’ safety. Modi also met Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, UAE Crown Prince Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Vietnam’s Le Minh Hung. On the final day of the summit, PM Modi continued his bilateral engagements with several leaders. He met South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye.
He chaired the BRICS Business Forum and proposed the 45-page New Delhi Declaration , which received the unanimous approval of all BRICS members. On September 11, PM Modi met Russian President Vladimir Putin for bilateral talks at Bharat Mandapam. Chinese President Xi Jinping met PM Modi on Saturday during his first visit to India in nearly 7 years.
At the bilateral meeting, India said that maintaining peace and tranquillity along the border remains the “essential basis” for advancing relations with China.
