External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday hailed the successful conclusion of the BRICS India Summit 2026, saying the gathering demonstrated the “strong convening power” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s India and showed that consensus could be forged even in a deeply polarised world.
Addressing the media, Jaishankar said 32 delegations participated in the summit, including representatives of 11 member states, 10 partner countries, four regional organisations and seven international organisations.
He said most participating countries were represented at the highest level, highlighting the presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
“The first point to note is really the strong convening power of Modi’s India, that most of them were represented at the head of state or head of government level,” Jaishankar said.
He also underlined the participation of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the heads of other international organisations, saying the summit provided an opportunity for leaders to engage in “very open and comfortable conversations”.
Jaishankar said the summit was held against the backdrop of a “very polarised world”, marked by major conflicts and deep divisions, but India succeeded in facilitating consensus on some of the most difficult issues.
“What we did was, even in the midst of this polarisation, we actually forged a consensus,” he said, referring particularly to the West Asia conflict.
He said BRICS leaders agreed on the need for peace, security, stability and long-term understanding, while emphasising the smooth flow of global trade, supply chains and energy, as well as the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure.
The External Affairs Minister said the summit’s agenda remained focused on the economy, development and technology, with a strong emphasis on standing up for the Global South.
“The agenda was focused on the economy, on development, on technology, for the Global South, standing up for the Global South. That was a very strong message which came out,” he said.
Jaishankar said the two key sessions of the summit, focused on reform and resilience, were “uniting themes” that helped countries come together despite their differences.
The EAM also highlighted the consensus achieved on terrorism, saying BRICS made clear that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations was unacceptable.
He pointed to the New Delhi Declaration’s strong condemnation of the April 22, 2025, Pahalgam terror attack and its call for “zero tolerance” towards terrorism and rejection of double standards in countering the menace.
“BRICS was very clear that any act of terrorism is criminal, and they, in fact, explicitly recognised the unacceptability of the Pahalgam attack of 22 April 2025,” Jaishankar said.
He said the declaration condemned terrorism, including cross-border terrorism, and called for accountability for those involved in terrorist activities and their supporters.
Concluding his remarks, Jaishankar said the summit reflected Prime Minister Modi’s message of dialogue, diplomacy and development.
“Many people said it won’t happen. It did happen. It did happen. It happened in New Delhi, and it happened under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership,” he said.
(ANI)
