Arabic version: الهند تستضيف قمة بريكس مع تركيز على التجارة والنزاعات

According to Al Jazeera, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is hosting the 18th annual BRICS Summit in New Delhi on September 12 and 13. More than a dozen world leaders are attending, with 30,000 additional security personnel deployed and streets near hotels used by dignitaries closed to traffic.

BRICS, formed by Brazil, Russia, India and China in 2006 before South Africa joined a year later, now has 11 members following later expansion. The bloc accounts for roughly 49 percent of the world’s population and about 40 percent of global gross domestic product. Its broad aim is to challenge the economic and political monopoly of the West.

Leaders attending include Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. Brazil is represented by Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira while President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is tied up with local elections. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, World Health Organisation chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and World Trade Organisation Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala are also attending.

India’s presidency theme is “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation, and Sustainability”. Discussions are expected to cover trade, energy cooperation, artificial intelligence and technology, as well as cross-border payments under Western sanctions on Russia and Iran. Alicia García-Herrero of Natixis said leaders would discuss payment modes but “will not try to substitute the dollar”.

The summit takes place while members face divisions over the US and Israel’s war on Iran, Russia’s war on Ukraine, tensions involving Saudi Arabia and the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, and India-China border disputes. Analysts said agreeing common language on conflicts could be difficult, while Xi’s first visit to India in seven years provides an opportunity for Beijing and New Delhi to address differences.