No Comments
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Thursday that he will attend the Brics Summit in Johannesburg from August 22-24 in person. This puts an end to rumours that the meeting could be done online after Russian President Vladimir Putin decided not to go.
Read more: What Could Be Expected From Next Monetary Policy Meeting: Let’s See What Data States
BRICS is an acronym for the world’s five emerging economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. Jim O’Neil, the then-chairman of Goldman Sachs, coined the term BRIC in 2001.
BRICS has emerged as the representative of developing countries and is playing an important role in safeguarding their rights.
During a call with PM Modi on Thursday night, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa asked him to the Brics Summit and told him what was being done to get ready for it. The PM accepted the invitation and expressed his enthusiasm to attend the summit in Johannesburg, according to a ministry of foreign affairs summary of the conversation.
Media reports that Modi may skip the summit of the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa were deemed “speculative” by the ministry. Putin will participate virtually in the summit, while foreign minister Sergey Lavrov will head a Russian delegation to Johannesburg.
It is believed that Ramaphosa spoke with Modi on Thursday in order to secure his presence at the summit. According to the readout, the two leaders “positively assessed” the development in their bilateral relationship and talked about several of regional and global issues.
Ramaphosa expressed his complete support for India’s initiatives under its G20 presidency and expressed his eagerness to attend the G20 Summit in India.
Modi’s presence could make it possible for him and Chinese President Xi Jinping to meet outside of the summit. Since the military standoff on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) began in May 2020, the two leaders have not met. However, they briefly chatted at a dinner during last year’s G20 Summit in Indonesia and talked about the need to improve relations between the two countries.
A controversial proposal to expand Brics by admitting new members is anticipated to take centre stage at the summit, according to sources with knowledge of the matter. Approximately 30 nations, including Argentina, Cuba, Congo, Iran, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), have expressed interest in joining the bloc.
Brics operates by consensus, and all five group members must agree on new members. People say that India’s greatest concern has been the entrance of countries that could make Brics a China-centric bloc. People added that the Indian side is accessible to the expansion of Brics through consensus and the entry of partners such as the UAE, but includes reservations for letting in countries perceived as being close to China.
Arindam Bagchi, a spokesperson for India’s Ministry of External Affairs, said that India’s stance is that Brics should grow with “full consultation and consensus” from all of its members.
We have discussed India’s views on growth, and we have expressed our own. Brics members are discussing the guiding principles, standards, criteria, and procedures for the Brics expansion process, as requested by the leaders last year, he told a weekly press conference.
Bagchi refuted reports that India would oppose the expansion. According to our minister of foreign affairs, we approach this circumstance with an open mind and an optimistic outlook. There have been baseless rumours that India opposes expansion. This is entirely false, he said.
Peskov was responding to Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s statement that it was “extremely important” for Saudi Arabia to join Brics alongside Argentina and the United Arab Emirates. Peskov stated that Russia has positive relationships with all three countries, but “we don’t think it’s necessary to get ahead of ourselves” regarding specific candidate nations before the Brics summit.
OTT India updates you with the latest news, Country’s no.1 digital news platform OTT India, Keeps you updated with national, and international news from all around the world. For more such updates, download the OTT India app on your Android and IOS device.
