The 18th BRICS Summit commenced today, Saturday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi formally inaugurated the event at Bharat Mandapam, extending a warm welcome to the member nations. In his address, he clarified that the group is not against anyone but strives to respect everyone.
Addressing the summit, PM Modi said, “It gives me immense pleasure to welcome and greet you all to India. India’s BRICS presidency is based on a people-centric and humanity-first approach. Resilience, innovation, cooperation, and sustainability have been our priorities. Alongside these priorities, we have placed special emphasis on connecting BRICS cooperation with the common people.”
He further added, “With this vision, more than 350 meetings were organized. We had the opportunity to welcome your teams to nearly 30 cities. I express my heartfelt gratitude to all of you for your active contribution and support in making India’s BRICS presidency a success.”
Elaborating on the essence of BRICS, PM Modi stated, “This year’s BRICS Summit marks a historic milestone. We are celebrating the 20th anniversary of BRICS. In human life, the age of 20 marks the beginning of a new phase of maturity and responsibility. It is a stage where responsibilities align with dreams, and potential finds a new direction. Today, BRICS, too, is at a moment of ‘coming of age.’ Over the past 20 years, BRICS has carved a distinct identity for itself on the global stage. We respect each other’s perspectives and move forward with a sense of duty. We do not stand against anyone; rather, we strive to move forward with the vision of taking everyone along.”
Speaking on the roadmap for the next 20 years, PM Modi said that the time has come to translate our unity and consensus within BRICS into tangible results on the global stage. We must work on a new and ambitious agenda for the coming two decades, and we need to begin this process by refining our own working systems. The BRICS chairmanship rotates annually, but this should not halt our institutional momentum. I propose a BRICS ‘Continuity and Implementation Mechanism.’ This would enable the follow-up of all initiatives and outcomes through the Troika.
