On sidelines of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held 15 bilateral meetings, including talks with Russia's Vladimir Putin, China's Xi Jinping, Iran's Dr Masoud Pezeshkian and South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has held as many as 15 bilateral meetings with heads of states and governments in the past three days on sidelines of the BRICS Summit at the Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, said sources on Sunday. This was in addition to the pull-aside meetings with various world leaders and leaders of international institutions.
This included talks with Russia's Vladimir Putin, China's Xi Jinping, Iran's Dr Masoud Pezeshkian and South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa, allowing New Delhi to deepen the ties with members of the BRICS, as India hosted the 18th BRICS Summit under its chairship.
The day 1
On September 11, the Prime Minister held a nearly 45-minute meeting with Putin that focused on deepening India-Russia ties across various sectors, including defence, energy, trade, infrastructure, civil nuclear energy, critical minerals and technology. Discussions were also held over Russia-Ukraine and US-Iran wars, with PM Modi reiterating that all conflicts must be resolved via diplomacy and dialogue.
On the same day, he also met Pezeshkian, discussing ways to bolster the ties and the situation in Middle East. PM Modi had also met United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday.
The day 2
On Saturday, the Prime Minister held talks with Xi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Malaysia's Anwar Ibrahim, Ethiopia's Abiy Ahmed Ali, and Vietnam's Lê Minh Hưng. However, his meeting with Xi was the talk of the town, as this was Chinese President's first India visit in seven years.
During the meeting, India and China agreed upon resolving their border differences via dialogue and ensure that peace and tranquility is maintained along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Xi also told Modi that India and China should be partners and they can learn a lot from each other.
The day 3
On Sunday, the Prime Minister held bilaterals with Ramaphosa, Indonesia's Prabowo Subianto, Egypt's Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Philippines' Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Uganda's Jessica Alupo, Burundi's Évariste Ndayishimiye, Kazakhstan's Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, and Nigeria's Kashim Shettima. The talks were focused on further strengthening the bilateral relationships with these countries.
The BRICS Summit was held on September 12 and 13 at the Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, with leaders of the 11 member countries and 10 partner countries, along with some international organisations, attending it.
