New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping are set for a face-to-face virtual meeting once again, this time at the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) Summit that kicks off Thursday.
This will be the second time that both leaders have come together on a multilateral forum, ever since the border stand-off began at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in April and May 2020. They last came together virtually in November 2020, which took place post the Galwan clash in which 20 Indian soldiers lost their lives.
According to sources, while discussions on the border stand-off will not take place since it is a bilateral matter between New Delhi and Beijing, the issue can be touched upon as a larger security concern for countries such as Russia, which is seen as a partner for both, and also because Moscow has been making efforts to resolve the matter between the two.
Sources said the evolving situation in Afghanistan and the new caretaker government announced there Tuesday, and how these countries will have a larger approach there, will one of the main talking points under the BRICS agenda of counter-terrorism.
Since 2012, India has chaired the BRICS Summit summit. The last time India was the chair of BRICS was during the Goa Summit in 2016, prior to that it was in 2012.
The meeting will also be attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro and President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa.
National Security Adviser Ajit Doval will also be attending the summit. The theme of the summit will be ‘Intra-BRICS cooperation for continuity, consolidation and consensus.’
“India had outlined four priority areas for its Chairship. These are Reform of the Multilateral System, Counter Terrorism, Using Digital and Technological Tools for achieving SDGs and Enhancing People to People exchanges. In addition to these areas, the leaders will also exchange views on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and other current global and regional issues,” said a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs.
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Recognition of Taliban government, aid to Afghanistan
One of the main topics that the BRICS will deliberate on this time, apart from Covid cooperation and other regional issues, is that of recognition of the new Taliban caretaker government in Afghanistan, and channelising development aid there under BRICS Development Bank, also called the New Development Bank.
The New Development Bank, which was established in 2014 with its headquarters in Beijing, has so far extended support mostly to the United Arab Emirates, Uruguay and Bangladesh.
Since this summit will be taking place at a time when Afghanistan is facing a humanitarian crisis, Russia and China are expected to insist that the BRICS Bank extend aid to the war-torn country, the economy of which lies in tatters.
On Tuesday, as the Taliban announced the initial formation of its caretaker government, Moscow said it will “support” the new dispensation.
India, Brazil and South Africa may not agree to this, a source said, adding that these countries would want the BRICS Bank to extend support to developmental projects in other countries.
(Edited by Arun Prashanth)
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