Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived Kazan on Tuesday, embarking his two-day visit to Russia to participate in the 16th edition of the BRICS Summit. PM Modi is set to hold bilateral talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the summit's sidelines. According to several media reports, Modi is also likely to meet other global leaders in Russia, including China's President Xi Jinping.
“The Summit, themed ‘Strengthening Multilateralism for Just Global Development and Security,’ will provide an important platform for leaders to discuss key global issues,” said a Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) statement.
BRICS is an intergovernmental group which initially included Brazil, Russia, India, and China. The group expanded in 2010 with the addition of South Africa. Four new countries were added last year: Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates.
-PM Modi received a warm welcome after landing in the Russian city, and ANI reported it. The Prime Minister is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts from BRICS member countries.
-Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Kazan during his visit to attend BRICS Summit. Modi embarked on his two-day visit to Russia from Delhi on Tuesday morning.
-“I am departing today on a two-day visit to Kazan at the invitation of Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation, to attend the 16th BRICS Summit. India values the close cooperation within BRICS, which has emerged as an important platform for dialogue and discussion on issues concerning the global developmental agenda, reformed multilateralism, climate change, economic cooperation, building resilient supply chains, and promoting cultural and people-to-people connect among others,” Modi said on Tuesday.
-Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to meet China's President Xi Jinping and other members of BRICS member nations, reported India Today. So far, there has been no confirmation about Modi's meeting with Xi Jinping.
-Highlighting the key challenges facing BRICS after expansion and India's importance in intergovernmental organisation, India's Ambassador to Russia, Vinay Kumar, told ANI, “India is a founding member of BRICS and is committed to economic cooperation within the framework of BRICS. In these years, there has been growing interest in the international community among a number of countries of the global south and others to cooperate with BRICS.”
-The key points of discussion at the BRICS summit include expansion of economic cooperation among BRICS members, trade settlement in national currencies, sustainable development, particularly PM Modi's LiFE mission to address the problems of climate change, digital inclusion, financial inclusion of the marginalised sections of society, said Vinay Kumar.
-In addition to meeting Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold meetings with Turkiye President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, TASS reported, citing the Russian president's foreign policy aide, Yury Ushakov.
-On the second day of the BRICS Summit, President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to hold discussions with the President of the Republic of Iran, Masoud Pezeshkian and the President of the Republic of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Then, Putin will meet with Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali, the Russian president's foreign policy aide, Yury Ushakov, told TASS, reported ANI.
-This will be Modi's second visit to Russia in five months. Earlier, Modi and Putin met in Moscow in July. During that time, the two had set a trade target of USD 100 billion by 2030.
-Commenting on prospects of further strengthening bilateral trade between India and Russia, the Indian Ambassador to Russia, Vinay Kumar, told ANI on Monday, “From our side, it will be External Affairs Minister. From the Russian side, it will be the first deputy Prime Minister, Mr Denis Monturov. So, I, again, do not want to prejudge what the leaders will talk about. But, certainly, they will review the momentum in bilateral relations and cooperation since they met last and also perhaps give new directions for us to, you know, carry forth this relationship.”
-The theme of the recent edition of the BRICS Summit is ‘Strengthening Multilateralism for Just Global Development and Security.’ BRICS was formalised during the first meeting of BRIC foreign ministers on the margins of UNGA in New York in 2006. The first BRIC Summit was held in Russia's Yekaterinburg in 2009.
