Kazan [Russia]: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other world leaders on Wednesday posed for a family photo at the Kazan Expo Center, ahead of the 16th BRICS Summit.
Russian president Vladimir Putin was flanked on either side by PM Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on either side in the family photo of leaders of the countries of the BRICS grouping, which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates.
Prime Minister Modi and UAE's President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan were seen interacting after the photo session.
The Plenary Session of the BRICS Summit began with Russian President Putin address to the world leaders.
Later today PM Modi is set to have a bilateral meeting with Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the summit.
The meeting in the capital of Tatarstan marks the first formal interaction between the two leaders in five years and follows the two countries reaching an agreement on resuming regular patrolling along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Tuesday said at a media briefing, "I can confirm that there will be a bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping tomorrow on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit."
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Modi met with Xi last in October 2019 in Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu months before the June 2020 clashes in Galwan that led to a military standoff.
The two leaders met during the Group of 20 meeting in Bali, Indonesia in 2022 and then in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2023.
On October 21, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced that an agreement had been reached regarding patrolling arrangements along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the India-China border area.
Foreign Secretary Misri told media persons that the agreement "is the outcome of extensive discussions over the past several weeks with Chinese interlocutors at both diplomatic and military levels."He noted that military commanders have been involved in negotiations aimed at addressing the tensions that have persisted since 2020.
China on Tuesday also said that it has reached a resolution with India on resolving their border conflict and will work to implement solutions. China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian in a regular press briefing said, "We have reached a resolution on the relevant matter, will work with the Indian side to implement the solution. We are in close communication through diplomatic and military channels."
The highly anticipated meeting between PM Modi and President Xi in Kazan is expected to be a pivotal moment in India-China relations. The two leaders are likely engage in discussions over the recent agreement on patrolling along the LAC and other areas of shared interest like trade. trade so that the trade increases but at the same time, the deficit decreases," he said.
—ANI