PM Modi To Attend BRICS Summit In South Africa

After weeks of speculation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has confirmed his attendance at the BRICS Summit in South Africa. The decision was made during a phone call with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who extended the invitation to the Summit scheduled for August 22-24, 2023.

In response to the invitation, the Ministry of External Affairs released a statement quoting PM Modi expressing his anticipation for the Summit and his visit to Johannesburg to participate in the event.

During their conversation, President Ramaphosa showed his full support for India's initiatives as part of its ongoing G-20 Presidency and expressed his desire to visit India for the G-20 Summit, as per a report in Livemint

The earlier speculation surrounding PM Modi's attendance arose due to the cancellation of Russian President Vladimir Putin's participation in the BRICS Summit. This cancellation was prompted by an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Putin, following reports of an attempted deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia. As South Africa is a signatory to the ICC's Rome Statute, there were debates about whether the country should fulfil its obligations by arresting Putin. In the end, Putin announced that he would attend the Summit virtually.

During their phone call, PM Modi and President Ramaphosa also discussed the progress in bilateral cooperation, particularly in light of the thirtieth anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and South Africa, which is being celebrated in 2023. They also exchanged views on various regional and global issues of mutual interest.

Additionally, this year's BRICS Summit is expected to witness some expansion in the organization's membership, which currently includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.

The 2021 BRICS summit is the thirteenth annual BRICS summit, an international relations conference attended by the heads of state or heads of government of the five member states Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. It was the third time that India hosted the BRICS Summit after 2012 and 2016. The summit was hosted virtually by video conference.

Objective Of BRICS

In 2001, Goldman Sachs banker Jim O'Neill coined the acronym "BRIC" to represent Brazil, Russia, India, and China - countries he foresaw as significant players in the global economy. Over time, the group evolved into a political alliance, culminating in their first summit in Yekaterinburg, Russia, in 2009. South Africa later joined the group a year later.

The BRICS nations collectively cover an area of 39,746,220 sq km and have an estimated population of approximately 3.21 billion, accounting for about 26.7% of the world's land surface and 41.5% of the global population. Brazil, Russia, India, and China are among the world's largest countries in terms of population, area, and GDP (PPP). Combined, the five BRICS states contribute around US$56.65 trillion to the global GDP (PPP), representing 32.5% of the world's total.

Notably, the BRICS countries have been holding annual summits since 2009 without interruption, with no leader having missed any summit. This stands in contrast to other groupings like IBSA (India, Brazil, and South Africa), which have only conducted six summits over 17 years since their inception in 2006.

As the BRICS approaches its next summit, there is an unprecedented disagreement over enlargement, testing the group's identity in the face of growing Chinese influence. Despite internal tensions, the BRICS members share a common vision of embracing multipolarity and engaging in shaping the post-Western global order. The group also provides privileged access to China, benefiting Brazil and South Africa, which previously had limited ties with Beijing. Being part of BRICS confers prestige, status, and legitimacy to economically stagnant countries like Brazil, Russia, and South Africa.

However, the escalating East-West confrontation, particularly between the US and China on trade and technology matters, and the West's conflict with Russia over the invasion of Ukraine, have prompted China and Russia to seek an expansion of the BRICS group and adopt a more anti-Western stance, which India is not entirely comfortable with.

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