INDIA GAINS FROM WEEKEND BRICS SUMMIT IN DELHI

NEW DELHI: India concluded the 18th Brics Summit in New Delhi, advancing local-currency trade, digital public infrastructure, counter-terrorism cooperation and UN reforms. With 11 members and partner nations participating, the summit strengthened India’s role as a bridge between the Global South and major powers.

Prime Minister Narendra speaks during day two of the Brics Summit in New Delhi. The 18th Brics Summit concluded on Sunday, September 13 at New Delhi’s Bharat Mandapam, marking a turning point for the alliance.

Under India’s chairship and guided by the official theme, “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability,” the summit brought together leaders from all full member states, numerous partner nations, and international organisations.

Entering the 2026 Summit, the Brics alliance faced an existential crisis.

Following its multi-stage expansion — incorporating Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates in 2024, followed by Indonesia in 2025 — the grouping risked fracturing under its own weight.

Many questioned whether an expanded organisation representing radically different political systems and regional rivalries could maintain institutional relevance.

External pressure mounted as well, as other blocs debated whether expanded Brics would deteriorate into an anti-Western confrontational sphere or collapse into an unproductive talking shop.

India’s chairship engineered a pivotal course correction that stabilised the bloc’s identity.

From the opening closed-door session titled “Inclusive Global Governance and Strengthening Multilateralism,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi repositioned Brics not as an anti-Western combatant, but as a “non-Western, solution-oriented” platform dedicated to the Global South.

New Delhi successfully steered the collective focus away from polarising ideological postures and toward practical economic cooperation, technological integration, and systemic reform of global governance.

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By championing a consensus-driven framework built on mutual respect, India proved that Brics could absorb ideological diversity without losing functional momentum.

Rather than breaking apart under friction, the bloc unanimously adopted the 18th New Delhi Declaration 2026, cementing its role as an indispensable pillar of multipolar diplomacy.

Bridging Iran, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia

Perhaps the biggest challenge confronting New Delhi was navigating the sharp frictions in West Asia.

With ongoing hostilities in West Asia, escalating tensions around the Strait of Hormuz, and military posture in the region, bringing rival powers to a single table posed an unprecedented test for Brics cohesion.

India utilised its trusted relationships across the Persian Gulf to construct a joint consensus.

The summit provided the backdrop for critical high-level interactions, symbolised on Day 1 by a warm embrace between Modi and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, paired with parallel sit-down consultations involving the United Arab Emirates delegation led by Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, alongside Saudi Arabian representatives.

India’s mediating influence produced a breakthrough within the New Delhi Declaration 2026.

For the first time since regional escalation, Iran, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia endorsed a unified Brics clause calling for immediate operational restraint, the preservation of commercial maritime safety in vital waterways, and the prioritisation of diplomatic channels over military confrontation.

By facilitating this shared alignment, India demonstrated its unique capacity to act as an honest broker.

The achievement prevented West Asian geopolitical conflicts from derailing the summit while establishing a functional channel of communication between regional competitors under the umbrella of Indian hospitality.

Balancing East-West and Global South dynamics

Throughout the weekend, India leveraged its strategic autonomy to position itself as a bridge between competing world orders.

As a key member of both Western-aligned groupings like the Quad and broad multilateral platforms like the G20 and Brics, New Delhi rejected binary geopolitical choices.

Modi articulated a framework centred on “Humanity First” development, arguing that global economic stability requires active cooperation between established Western economies and emerging markets.

India resisted pushback against open global trade, steering Brics declarations toward supporting a rules-based, non-discriminatory multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organisation at its core.

For member states from Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia — represented by leaders such as South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto — India functioned as an amplifier for Global South priorities.

New Delhi ensured that critical issues such as debt sustainability, climate finance, food security, and affordable energy access remained central to the summit’s output, insulating developing economies from being forced into global power alignments.

Beyond the primary summit halls, Bharat Mandapam and Hyderabad House served as the venue for intensive bilateral meetings. Over three days, Modi held 15 sit-down bilateral meetings with heads of state and government, alongside pull-aside consultations, yielding substantial strategic and economic dividends for India.

The most anticipated meeting of the weekend occurred on Saturday evening between Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping — marking Xi’s first visit to India in seven years.

The dialogue focused on reviewing progress along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) following military disengagement protocols. Both leaders affirmed the necessity of maintaining peace and tranquility in border areas as a baseline for normal bilateral relations.

The discussions yielded agreements to explore the phased resumption of direct commercial flights, streamline visa procedures for technical personnel, and reactivate dialogue mechanisms on trade imbalances.

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in New Delhi for his second visit to India in under a year, having previously attended the annual bilateral summit in December 2025.

In an unscripted display of personal rapport, Modi and Putin travelled together in a single vehicle within the Bharat Mandapam complex prior to their formal bilateral session.

The talks secured long-term energy supply agreements, ensuring India’s continued access to discounted crude oil and fertiliser inputs. The two nations finalised mechanisms to expand settlement in local currencies through integrated banking channels, bypassing Western financial bottlenecks.

Modi reiterated India’s position on the Ukraine conflict, pointing out that lasting security cannot be achieved on the battlefield and advocating for direct, sustained peace negotiations.

In his meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Modi focused on accelerating the commercial operation of the Chabahar Port and expanding the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC).

Simultaneously, bilateral engagements with the UAE and Saudi Arabian delegations centred on integrating regional logistics networks.

India secured commitments for expanded sovereign wealth fund investments in domestic renewable energy projects, semiconductor manufacturing facilities, and national highway infrastructure.

Bilateral sessions with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr (attending as Asean Chair), Burundi President Évariste Ndayishimiye (Chairperson of the African Union), Uganda Vice President Jessica Rose Epel Alupo, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Nigerian Vice President Kashim Shettima, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Thai Deputy PM Sihasak Phuangketkeow focused on trade diversification, defence exports, and agricultural security.

India offered customised defense hardware packages, including naval patrol vessels and radar systems, alongside bilateral currency swap agreements to protect partner nations from dollar liquidity shortages.

A main highlight of India’s chairship was the integration of tech into the core Brics agenda. On the afternoon of September 12, leaders toured the “Bharat Innovates Exhibition” in Hall 14 of Bharat Mandapam.

Modi showcased India’s proprietary Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), highlighting the operational architecture of the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), Aadhaar digital identity verification, the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), and healthcare deployment models like CoWIN and Ayushman Bharat.

India formally launched the “BRICS DPI Repository,” offering its open-source, modular digital public goods to member states and partner nations without licensing fees.

This initiative presents a digital transformation model for developing countries across Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia, offering an alternative to proprietary corporate ecosystems or restrictive state surveillance models.

For India, exporting the DPI stack creates opportunities for domestic fintech companies, IT services exporters, and cybersecurity firms, embedding Indian technological standards across the digital economies of the Global South.

Responding to global trade volatility and currency fluctuations, Brics leaders endorsed actionable financial frameworks designed to enhance trade autonomy.

Leaders approved recommendations to interconnect national payment messaging architectures and fast-track cross-border settlements using local currencies, enabling seamless trade transactions between member states without compulsory routing through third-country intermediaries.

The New Development Bank (NDB) was tasked with raising its local-currency lending target to 40 per cent of its total portfolio, providing project financing for infrastructure, clean energy, and urban development across developing economies without exposing borrowers to foreign exchange risks.

Agreement was reached to expand credit lines among BRICS development banks, supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) engaged in intra-bloc trade.

India ensured these financial mechanisms were framed around trade efficiency and financial inclusion rather than ideological de-dollarisation, preserving the bloc’s integration with broader international financial markets.

Consensus on counter-terrorism and governance reform

India secured robust counter-terrorism provisions within the summit’s final communique.

The New Delhi Declaration 2026 articulated a strict zero-tolerance stance against terrorism in all its forms, explicitly condemning cross-border terror networks, state sponsorship, financial support structures, and safe havens.

The declaration referenced the principle that no terrorist act can be justified regardless of motivation, echoing India’s long-standing diplomatic position.

The document also highlighted joint cooperation in combating cyber-terrorism, online radicalisation, and the misuse of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence by non-state actors.

Brics leaders also reaffirmed the imperative to reform the United Nations Security Council, explicitly endorsing increased representation for developing nations from Africa, Asia, and Latin America, including support for India’s permanent membership aspirations.

The declaration also called for quota adjustments at the International Monetary Fund and World Bank to reflect the economic weight of emerging market economies.

Member states committed to restoring a fully functional, two-tier WTO dispute settlement mechanism to protect open global trade from unilateral protectionist measures.

The host city executed extensive security and logistical operations to accommodate the high-density arrival of global leaders, foreign ministers, and over 1,500 international delegates.

The Delhi Police and central security agencies deployed specialised protection protocols across central and southern Delhi, ensuring secure transit corridors while managing urban mobility.

Bharat Mandapam showcased India’s cultural heritage alongside its modern infrastructure.

On the summit’s first evening, Modi hosted a gala dinner featuring the “Brics Symphony – One Rhythm, Many Cultures.”

The performance brought together a 160-member ensemble of classical Indian dancers — representing Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, Odissi, and Kathak — alongside traditional musicians from all member countries, highlighting common civilisational bonds through shared artistic expression.

Earlier in the day, Brics leaders gathered on the verdant lawns of Bharat Mandapam for a ceremonial tree-planting event, planting 10 saplings of the Great Banyan tree.

By refusing to allow Brics to become an anti-Western instrument, India preserved the bloc’s credibility as a constructive platform for global governance.