NEW DELHI: PM Narendra Modi will host a gala dinner for the leaders participating in the Brics summit on Saturday evening, said govt in an announcement Wednesday. The summit will formally begin earlier in the day with Modi welcoming the leaders of Brics member states at the venue, Bharat Mandapam, and later joining them for a closed session titled Inclusive Global Governance and Strengthening Multilateralism.India is hosting the 18th Brics summit on Sept 12-13, exactly 20 years after the grouping that counts 11 major emerging economies as members was formalised. After the session, the leaders will witness the Bharat Innovates exhibition at the summit venue, before congregating on the outside lawns for a Brics family photo. This event will be followed by leaders participating in a joint tree plantation.Modi is also expected to have a formal bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping Saturday in which both leaders will look to consolidate gains from the recent uptick in bilateral ties. Xi had last visited India in 2019 for the Mammalapuram informal summit. A formal announcement by Beijing about Xi’s visit was still awaited on Wednesday.Modi’s bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled for Friday. The PM is also expected to have a meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. UAE will likely be represented by Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Bridging bilateral divides over the West Asia situation to secure a unified Brics declaration remains the primary hurdle for India, ahead of the meetings.On Sunday – second day of summit – Modi will welcome leaders of the 10 Brics partner countries, along with other outreach invitees. The leaders will join the final session titled Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability: Shaping the Future for Inclusive Global Growth.
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The summit will see a renewed call by Modi for a reinvigorated, inclusive and effective multilateral order at a time when the world is faced with complex challenges. As EAM S Jaishankar had said, Brics needs to commit to a reformed multilateralism that reflects contemporary realities – one where institutions like United Nations, WTO, IMF and World Bank are representative and inclusive.
