India hosted a successful 18th BRICS Summit, a US-based analyst has said, underlining that the substantive joint declaration issued on the first day demonstrated New Delhi’s ability to reach consensus among countries with divergent views.
Michael Kugelman, a Senior Fellow for South Asia at the Atlantic Council, said the declaration reflected both India’s convening power and the growing appeal of the BRICS grouping.
The annual summit of BRICS, a grouping of 11 major emerging economies representing around 49.5 per cent of the world’s population and 40 per cent of global GDP, was held under the chairmanship of India from September 12 to 13 in New Delhi.
The BRICS countries on Saturday unanimously adopted the New Delhi Declaration 2026, which was attended by global leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The declaration expressed serious concern over the rise of unilateral tariff and non-tariff measures, saying such actions distort global trade and violate World Trade Organisation rules.
It also focused on terrorism, conflict prevention and the peaceful resolution of disputes. India led efforts to bridge differences between Iran and the UAE over the West Asia conflict during negotiations on the declaration.
“I think we could assess India’s hosting role as a success. The fact that there was a joint declaration that was quite substantive and was issued on the first day highlights how New Delhi was able to work with a group with disparate views and reach a consensus,” Kugelman told PTI Videos on Sunday.
“What’s fortunate for BRICS is that it operates based on consensus, not unanimity. There needs to be a critical mass of those agreeing with what to do, and that’s clearly what India was able to get to,” Kugelman emphasised, hailing New Delhi’s growing global prominence.
(PTI)
