Finance
Following an invitation from Chinese President Xi Jinping, India announced on Tuesday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the annual summit of the five-nation grouping BRICS on June 23 and 24. Russian President Vladimir Putin will also be in attendance.
The announcement came from the Ministry of External Affairs, following New Delhi’s decision to hold a virtual summit rather than an in-person summit in China.
The decision was made in light of India and China’s strained relations as a result of the two-year-long border standoff in eastern Ladakh.
This year, China is hosting the virtual summit in its capacity as BRICS chair. Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil and Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa are expected 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 stated that the BRICS has evolved into a forum for discussing and deliberating on issues of common concern to all developing countries, and that the grouping has repeatedly called for reform of the multilateral system to make it more representative and inclusive.
Modi will deliver a recorded keynote speech at the BRICS Business Forum’s opening ceremony on Wednesday, prior to the summit. Earlier this year, China reached out to India in an attempt to restart bilateral talks.
Source:IE
