New Delhi: India announced Monday that it is going into the BRICS summit in Johannesburg with a "positive intent" and a "open mind" about the enlargement of the current group of five countries.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the 15th BRICS conference, which will take place in the city from August 22-24. Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) will be holding their first in-person summit since 2019.
India News: PM’s departure statement ahead of his visit to South Africa and Greece
Vladimir Putin, president of Russia, has already chosen not to attend the meeting in Johannesburg.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Modi will fly to Johannesburg.
After leaving Johannesburg, Modi will visit Greece to have in-depth discussions with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis about expanding bilateral ties.
Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra, when asked at a media conference whether Prime Minister Modi will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS summit, simply responded that the schedule of prime minister's bilateral engagements is being prepared.
When it comes to the BRICS' continued growth, "we have a positive intent and an open mind," Kwatra added.
The foreign minister stated that the Sherpas of the BRICS group are now discussing the methods for including new members.
I don't want to second guess the outcome of the talks," he remarked.
According to Kwatra, many countries are very interested in joining the alliance. Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Argentina are among the 23 nations that have applied to join the BRICS and have emerged as strong candidates for membership.
All BRICS member states need to be in agreement on how they want the BRICS to grow and what principles should govern that growth, he said, because the BRICS is built on the basis of consensus.
The BRICS group unites the world's five most populous emerging economies, which account for 41% of the world's total population, 24% of the global GDP, and 16% of international commerce.
The BRICS Business Forum and the BRICS Leaders Retreat are both happening on Tuesday, and Modi is set to attend both.
On August 23, the main BRICS summit will be place, and it will be split into two parts: the first will focus on BRICS cooperation, multilateral system reform, and counterterrorism, while the second will address the global economic recovery, sustainable development goals (SDGs), and objectives of the Global South.
On August 24, Modi will take part in both the BRICS outreach session to Africa and the BRICS plus debate.
When asked if the BRICS is considering creating a unified currency and free trade pact, the foreign secretary responded that so far, discussions have mostly focused on commerce in national currencies.
A "common currency framework" has "several prerequisites," he stated.
The last Indian prime leader to visit Greece was Indira Gandhi in September 1983, hence Modi's trip to Athens was expected to be significant.
Three times between November 1984 (for Indira Gandhi's burial) and January 1986 (as the chief guest at the Republic Day ceremony) did Greek Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou travel to India.
During PM Modi's trip to Athens, according to Kwatra, the two countries will strive to increase and diversify their trade and investment cooperation as well as explore opportunities to enhance their partnership in the areas of defence and security.—Inputs from Agencies