PM Modi to Attend Expanded BRICS Summit in Russia

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit Russia from October 22-23 for the 16th BRICS Summit, where he will engage in bilateral discussions with leaders from the group’s member countries and other invitees, as announced by the Ministry of External Affairs.

This will be PM Modi’s second trip to Russia this year. The summit, marking the first since BRICS expanded to include nine members, will see Egypt, Iran, Ethiopia, and the UAE participating, following their membership offers at the 2023 summit in South Africa. Argentina declined the invitation due to a change in government, while Saudi Arabia has yet to respond.

Invited by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Modi will attend the summit in Kazan, which is chaired by Russia. Themed “Strengthening Multilateralism for Just Global Development and Security,” the summit aims to address key global challenges and assess the progress of BRICS initiatives, while exploring potential areas for future collaboration.

During his visit, Modi is expected to hold meetings with his counterparts from BRICS nations and invited leaders. According to Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov, the Kazan summit will host leaders from 24 countries, with delegations from a total of 32 nations, making it one of the largest foreign policy events ever held in Russia.

In addition to the main BRICS discussions, meetings will also take place in the BRICS+ format, focusing on “BRICS and the Global South: Building the Future of the World Together,” involving representatives from Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America.

All heads of state from the member countries—including seven presidents and two prime ministers—are expected to attend, alongside UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and leaders from various aspiring nations, including Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Azerbaijan’s Ilham Aliyev, Belarus’s Alexander Lukashenko, and Kazakhstan’s Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.