New Delhi, September 11: Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other world leaders are arriving in New Delhi for the 18th BRICS Leaders’ Summit, which India will host at Bharat Mandapam on September 12–13.
President Xi’s visit will be his first to India in seven years, while Putin arrived in the capital early Friday for the two-day summit and bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto are also expected to attend the summit, MEA said.
The summit comes amid deep geopolitical tensions, including the war involving Iran, which has exposed differences within the expanded BRICS grouping. Disagreements between Iran and the United Arab Emirates prevented the bloc’s foreign ministers from issuing a joint statement after their meeting in New Delhi in May.
Energy security, global trade, development finance, technology and cooperation among countries of the Global South are expected to feature prominently in the discussions. India is also expected to push for consensus on international conflicts and strengthen BRICS cooperation on economic and development issues.
Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with President Putin, with trade, energy and economic cooperation likely to be key issues. A possible meeting between Modi and Xi is also being closely watched as the two countries seek to stabilise relations following an agreement to ease military tensions along their disputed Himalayan border.
Delhi has imposed extensive security arrangements ahead of the summit, with around thousands of police personnel, paramilitary forces and hundreds of CCTV cameras deployed across the capital. Traffic restrictions and diversions are expected along routes used by visiting leaders.
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