New Delhi, Sept. 12 (LaPresse/AP) – Leaders of the BRICS countries are meeting today in New Delhi for a summit focused on trade, investment and international conflicts, as the group seeks to strengthen its role on the global stage. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is hosting Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and the other leaders of the eight member countries. The summit is taking place as the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East and growing tensions between the United States and China test the bloc’s ability to find common positions among countries with differing geopolitical interests. Thousands of police officers and paramilitary personnel have been deployed in New Delhi, with traffic restrictions and diversions in place. The leaders will discuss economic cooperation, energy, food security, technology, supply chains and reform of global institutions. One of the priorities is also reducing dependence on the dollar, through greater use of national currencies in trade and payments and the promotion of alternatives to Western-dominated financial institutions. For India, the summit represents an opportunity to maintain strategic ties with Russia and Iran while at the same time deepening relations with the United States and Europe. New Delhi has maintained close ties with Moscow and Tehran despite the war in Ukraine and tensions between Iran and the United States, while calling for dialogue and diplomacy to resolve conflicts. Modi met separately with Putin and Pezeshkian on Friday, on the eve of the summit. A test will be the adoption of a joint declaration. Divisions had already emerged in May, when the BRICS foreign ministers failed to reach agreement on a joint statement on the war in Iran, forcing India to issue a document from the presidency.
India, Brics summit gets underway: wars and tensions with the US put the bloc to the test
New Delhi, Sept. 12 (LaPresse/AP) – Leaders of the BRICS countries are meeting today in New Delhi for a summit focused on trade, investment and international conflicts, as the group seeks to strengthen its role on the global stage. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is hosting Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and the other leaders of the eight member countries. The summit is taking place as the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East and growing tensions between the United States and China test the bloc’s ability to find common positions among countries with differing geopolitical interests. Thousands of police officers and paramilitary personnel have been deployed in New Delhi, with traffic restrictions and diversions in place. The leaders will discuss economic cooperation, energy, food security, technology, supply chains and reform of global institutions. One of the priorities is also reducing dependence on the dollar, through greater use of national currencies in trade and payments and the promotion of alternatives to Western-dominated financial institutions. For India, the summit represents an opportunity to maintain strategic ties with Russia and Iran while at the same time deepening relations with the United States and Europe. New Delhi has maintained close ties with Moscow and Tehran despite the war in Ukraine and tensions between Iran and the United States, while calling for dialogue and diplomacy to resolve conflicts. Modi met separately with Putin and Pezeshkian on Friday, on the eve of the summit. A test will be the adoption of a joint declaration. Divisions had already emerged in May, when the BRICS foreign ministers failed to reach agreement on a joint statement on the war in Iran, forcing India to issue a document from the presidency.