Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the upcoming BRICS Summit, which will be held in Brazil next week. However, the state heads of the two key members of the group – Russia and China – Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping will not attend this year’s BRICS Summit in person, as per reports.
Russia will be represented by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, while Premier Li Qiang will represent China.
What Is BRICS ?
The BRICS comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The bloc has been expanded with five additional members Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. At present Brazil is the rotating chair of the group and will hold the 17th summit in Rio de Janeiro on July 6-7.
PM Modi To Attend BRICS Summit In Brazil – What’s On Agenda?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Brazil at the invitation of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. He will be in Brazil from July 5 to 8, 2025 to attend the 17th BRICS summit followed by a state visit. This will be PM Modi’s fourth visit to Brazil as the prime minister.
“During the summit, the prime minister will exchange views on key global issues including reform of global governance, peace and security, strengthening multilateralism, responsible use of artificial intelligence, climate action, global health, economic and financial matters,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.
PM Modi is also likely to hold several bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the summit. For the state visit to Brazil, Modi will travel to Brasilia where he will hold bilateral discussions with President Lula on the broadening of the strategic partnership between the two countries in areas of mutual interest, including trade, defence, energy, space, technology, agriculture, health and people to people linkages, the MEA said.
Why Xi and Putin Decided to Skip BRICS Summit?
While China is yet to release information regarding XI Jinping’s decision to skip the BRICS Summit, Russia President Vladimir Putin has been skipping summits on foreign soils recently. In 2023, Putin had skipped the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, due to an arrest warrant issued against him by the International Criminal Court (ICC) at Ukraine’s request. Brazil, like South Africa, is a signatory of ICC’s Rome Statute and is obliged to act on its warrants. This is being considered as a possible reason behind Putin skipping the summit.
PM Modi To Visit 5 Nations
PM Modi will visit Ghana, Trinidad and Tobago, Argentina, Brazil, and Namibia during the eight-day trip, according to the MEA.
In the first leg of the visit, PM Modi will undertake a visit to Ghana from July 2 to 3. This will be the prime minister’s first ever bilateral visit to Ghana. It will be the first prime ministerial visit from India to Ghana in three decades.
From Ghana, PM Modi will travel to Trinidad and Tobago on a two-day visit from July 3 to 4. It will be the first visit by an Indian prime minister to the country since 1999. During the visit, PM Modi will hold talks with President of Trinidad and Tobago Christine Carla Kangaloo and Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar. He is also expected to address a joint session of the parliament of the island nation. The visit of the prime minister to Trinidad and Tobago will impart fresh impetus to the deep-rooted and historical ties between the two countries, the MEA said.
In the third leg of his visit, PM Modi will visit Argentina from July 4 to 5. The prime minister will hold wide-ranging talks with President Javier Milei to further enhance India-Argentina partnership in key areas including defence, agriculture, mining, oil and gas, renewable energy, trade and investment, according to the MEA. “The bilateral visit of the prime minister will further deepen the multifaceted strategic partnership between India and Argentina,” it said in a statement.
Then, PM Modi will travel to Brazil to attend the BRICS Summit and from there he wil travel to Namibia. This will be the third ever prime ministerial visit from India to Namibia. During his visit, Modi will hold bilateral talks with President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah. He is also expected to deliver an address at the Parliament of Namibia.