Kazan, Russia: India's main agenda at the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, is to manage the bloc's expansion in a way that is conducive to the interests of the Global South.
As the future of BRICS emerges as a competitive and dynamic landscape, Prime Minister Narendra Modi heads to Kazan, Russia, to attend the multilateral group's 16th summit, which is expected to include at least 10 countries as stakeholders. . Expanded BRICS.
Fittingly, BRICS 2.0 is being coordinated in Russia, which hosted the group's first summit in Yekaterinburg in 2009. In addition to existing members, the expanded BRICS+ will include countries from all geographies and continents.
Adding more countries as “partner countries” will be high on the agenda of the BRICS summit, which will be held by Russian President Vladimir Putin in the capital of Tatarstan from October 22 to 24. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be accompanied by around 40 prominent leaders to participate in the regular and Outreach/PRICS Plus sessions.
The 16th BRICS summit will take place against the backdrop of unprecedented upheaval in the global order. Crises and conflicts are increasing and geopolitical fault lines are deepening. In this era of multiple crises and paranoia, there is a growing lack of trust amid competitive games for power and dominance. It is a period of structural change in the international system and of diversity: the old order is crumbling, but the contours of an emerging world order are barely visible.
The motto of the Russian BRICS president is “Strengthening diversity for equitable global development and security.” “Strengthening multilateralism” and “balanced development” are the two central expressions here, covering the future direction of the BRICS and the emerging world order. This quest for equity and inclusion has driven a large number of countries to join the BRICS organization, from Thailand and Vietnam to Cuba and Senegal.
Focus on the Global South
India's main agenda at the BRICS summit in Kazan is to manage the bloc's expansion in the interest of the Global South and prevent Chinese dominance in the bloc.
Thirty-four countries have formally applied for BRICS membership. Between 10 and 15 countries are expected to be added as partner countries at the Kazan summit, paving the way for new members to be added at the next summit in 2025. Under Russian presidential procedures, each BRICS member state will share a list of preferred candidates. Based on the lists provided by the 9 member states, between 10 and 15 countries will be selected to obtain partner country status.
Competition to join the BRICS system
The BRICS summit in Kazan will be marked by intense competition and pressure from countries interested in becoming members of the BRICS and their supporters. The founding members of the BRICS, including India, China and Russia, will engage in intense negotiations to secure the entry of their friendly countries into the group. The Russian president has detailed his criteria for adding new partner countries and members. These criteria include: I) the interested country must have good relations with other BRICS members; II) The country concerned must not support economic sanctions against another BRICS country; III) The interested country must be economically ambitious; IV) The country concerned should support global governance reforms, including the reform and expansion of the UN Security Council. India generally supports these criteria, but also has its own criteria for supporting an interested country. In New Delhi's view, no country should have hostile relations with India. Against this criterion, India opposes Pakistan's candidacy, backed by China. Apart from contentious relations, India believes that Pakistan's inclusion will not add any value to the BRICS system, high-level sources said. Sources said India will ensure that BRICS maintains its status as a group of emerging market economies rather than becoming a platform to reflect geopolitical conflicts between neighbors.
The road ahead
India will also ensure that BRICS does not become a platform against the West. In his remarks at the summit, Prime Minister Modi is expected to project the BRICS as a force for the global common good and peace and harmony in the world. India will join forces with non-aligned countries in the BRICS+ alliance, especially those with good relations with the West, to counter some countries' agenda of turning BRICS+ into an anti-Western alliance.
Ahead of the summit, Putin quoted Prime Minister Modi as saying that the BRICS group is not anti-Western, but will drive much of the world's economic growth in the coming years. “The BRICS have never been against anyone. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also said that the BRICS are not an anti-Western group but a non-Western group.
India's primary objective in the BRICS organization is to use the group to accelerate the reform and expansion of the UN Security Council and other key global governance institutions. Prime Minister Modi is expected to raise his pitch in favor of global governance reforms as the increase in membership will increase the collective bargaining power of the BRICS against global governance reforms.
Looking ahead, India, the bloc's largest democracy, will play a key role in shaping the future evolution of the BRICS as a pioneering forum for the Global South, as most of the countries in the enlarged bloc will be developing countries. . An expanded BRICS+ will complement India's efforts in other multilateral groups such as the G20, placing the interests and priorities of the Global South on the international agenda.
Manish Chand, Center for Global India Insights, a think tank focused on global affairs, and editor-in-chief of India Rights Network and India and the World. He is in Kazan to report and review the BRICS summit.
