Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: Amid apprehensions that any expansion of the five-nation bloc of emerging economies—Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS)—by inducting new members could potentially turn it into an anti-West platform, New Delhi on Monday supported the move, on the eve of the group’s 15th Summit beginning in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Ahead of the first in-person BRICS Summit after the Covid-19 pandemic, India’s Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said the South Asian nation has a “positive intent” and an “open mind” for the expansion of the grouping.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting the South African city from August 22 to 24 to attend the three-day Summit at the invitation of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, against whom the International Criminal Court has issued a warrant of arrest in the Ukraine human rights case, has already decided not to travel to Johannesburg for the Summit. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will represent him.
The BRICS bloc comprises five of the largest developing countries, representing 41 percent of the world population, 24 percent of the global GDP, and 16 percent of the international trade.
Asked at a media briefing whether the PM and Chinese President Xi Jinping will hold talks on the sidelines of the BRICS summit, Kwatra only said the schedule of PM Modi’s bilateral meetings is being finalized.
PM Modi will also participate in a special event “BRICS: Africa Outreach and BRICS Plus Dialogue,” being organized after the Summit.
“We have a positive intent and an open mind when it comes to BRICS expansion,” Kwatra said.
The expansion of BRICS is a major agenda item of the Summit. Nearly two dozen countries have sought the group’s membership.
Kwatra said the modalities for the inclusion of new members into the BRICS are being discussed among the Sherpas of the grouping.
“I would not want to prejudge the outcome of the discussions,” he said.
Asked whether the BRICS is contemplating floating a common currency, he said there are several prerequisites for such a common framework.
He said the discussion in BRICS has focussed on trade in the national currency.
PM Modi is scheduled to leave for Johannesburg on Tuesday morning.
From Johannesburg, he will travel to Greece to hold wide-ranging talks with his counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis on broadening overall ties between the two countries.
Modi’s visit to Athens on August 25 assumed significance as it would be the first prime ministerial visit from India since September 1983 when the then PM Indira Gandhi visited Greece.
Then Greek Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou visited India thrice—in November 1984 for Indira Gandhi’s funeral, in January 1985 to attend a Summit on nuclear disarmament, and in January 1986 on a bilateral state visit as the Chief Guest for the Republic Day function.