40 nations, including Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, are vying for membership in the group as Modi departs for the BRICS Summit in South Africa

For the 15th BRICS Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi left today, or on Tuesday. He will arrive in South Africa at roughly 5:15 p.m., as per Indian time

Till August 24, Prime Minister Modi will be in Johannesburg, South Africa. He will also hold one-on-one meetings with some of the member nations during this time.

Along with PM Modi, a business group is travelling. This information was released on August 21 by the Ministry of External Affairs. In July 2018, PM Modi had previously visited South Africa.

The BRICS conference will also be attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping. PM Modi can meet with him in this circumstance. In actuality, the BRICS group also consists of China, Russia, South Africa, and Brazil in addition to India. On August 25, PM Modi will then embark on a trip of Greece.

PM Modi’s schedule for today

5:15 pm – PM Modi will arrive at South Africa’s Waterkloof Air Base.

7:30 pm: Conversation with BRICS Business Forum Leaders

BRICS Leaders at 9:30 p.m. Retrenchment of 40 nations competing to join BRICS

This time around, the BRICS meeting—a group that was founded in 2009, 14 years ago—is seen as being quite significant. The competition to join this organisation is the only explanation for this. The organisation has received interest from about 40 different nations.

Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan, and Iran are a few of these. The growth of the group will be the main topic of discussion at this meeting. There is, however, no agreement among its five members on this matter.

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The news source “ANI” said that 45 guest countries are eligible to attend this gathering. Following the conference, there will be a BRICS Plus Dialogue and an Africa Outreach. Other nations that South Africa has invited will be present. The BRICS Summit will feature discussions on the global economic recovery, geopolitical challenges, and counterterrorism, according to Foreign Ministry Secretary Vinay Kwatra.

Why is the gathering taking place in South Africa?

The BRICS organisation consists of 5 nations. These include South Africa, Brazil, Russia, India, and China. The leaders of all the nations convene for a summit held by the BRICS nations each year. Due to this, these 5 nations alternate each year holding the presidency and hosting.

South Africa became the organization’s host in January of this year. Consequently, a BRICS summit will take place in Johannesburg, South Africa, from August 22 to 24. The BRICS Summit will thereafter be held in Russia in 2024.

Why won’t Putin attend the meeting in South Africa?

A case regarding war crimes against Putin has reportedly been filed at the International Criminal Court (ICC), and an arrest warrant has apparently been issued, according to a report from Reuters. This means that all nations that are ICC members are required to obey its directives. One of the ICC’s members is South Africa. In such a scenario, if Putin had travelled to Johannesburg, his arrest would have been required by the South African government because it is a member state.

Putin will not therefore travel to Johannesburg to attend the BRICS Summit, as agreed upon by the two nations. They can participate virtually though. In actuality, Putin was the subject of an arrest order issued by the ICC in March of this year. During the invasion of Ukraine, he is accused of forcibly deporting Ukrainian children to Russia. However, if Russia insists that it is not a party to the ICC, then the arrest warrant for Putin would also be deemed invalid.

Concern over Prime Minister Modi and President Xi Jinping’s meeting

Of course, Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be at the BRICS summit. However, it cannot be assumed that they will hold a meeting given the continued tension on their respective borders.

According to Chen Xiaodang, China’s ambassador to South Africa, there will undoubtedly be direct discussions and meetings between the leaders of the two countries. However, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs has not provided any such indication.

Why does BRICS matter to India?

India’s foreign policy opposes any one nation dominating the world. India favours a world with multiple powers. India needs BRICS in such a circumstance. The main justification for this is also because India can openly criticise the domination of western nations from this platform and receive backing from other member nations. India openly contests the dominance of wealthy nations in many major organisations, such as the WTO, World Bank, and IMF, by joining this group.