PM Modi to Virtually Chair 13th BRICS Summit on 9 September, Says MEA

This will be the second time that PM Modi will be chairing the summit, after having chaired the Goa Summit in 2016.

File photo of PM Narendra Modi.

(Photo Courtesy: BJP4India/ Twitter)

PM Narendra Modi will virtually chair the BRICS Summit on Thursday, 9 September, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Monday.

The meeting will be attended by the Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro, Russia President Vladimir Putin, China's Xi Jinping, as well as President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa. India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval will also be in attendance at the meeting.

This is the third time India is hosting the summit, reported The Times of India. Meanwhile, this will be the second time that PM Modi will be chairing the same, after having chaired the Goa Summit in 2016.

The theme for the Summit is ‘BRICS@15: Intra-BRICS cooperation for continuity, consolidation and consensus’, the MEA statement added.

The MEA also said that India has outlined four key areas for its Chairship: Reform of the Multilateral System, Counter Terrorism, Using Digital and Technological Tools for achieving SDGs and Enhancing People to People exchanges.

Further, the leaders at the meeting, will also exchange views on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and other current global and regional issues.

The Indian Chairship of BRICS this year coincides with the fifteenth anniversary of BRICS.

The 2020 BRICS Summit was held virtually in November amid the COVID pandemic and was chaired by Russia.

(With inputs from The Times of India.)