Journalism of Courage
India on Tuesday announced that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the annual summit of the five-nation grouping BRICS on June 23 and 24 following an invitation by Chinese President Xi Jinping. Russian President Vladimir Putin will also attend the summit.
This announcement came from the Ministry of External Affairs, after New Delhi decided to go for a virtual summit, and not an in-person summit in China.
The decision was taken in view of the strained ties between India and China over the two-year-long border stand-off in eastern Ladakh.
China is hosting the virtual summit in its capacity as its chair of BRICS this year. Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa are likely to attend the virtual summit.
“At the invitation of President Xi Jinping, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be attending the 14th BRICS Summit hosted by China in virtual format on June 23 and 24. This includes a high-level dialogue on global development with guest countries on June 24,” the MEA said in a statement.
It said the BRICS has become a platform for discussing and deliberating on issues of common concern for all developing countries, adding the grouping has regularly called for reform of the multilateral system to make it more representative and inclusive.
Before the summit, Modi will participate, by way of a recorded keynote speech, in the opening ceremony of the BRICS Business Forum on Wednesday. Earlier in the year, China had reached out to India to revive bilateral dialogue.
