PM Modi leaves for a two-day visit to Russia today to attend the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan

Tuesday marked the start of Prime Minister Narendra Modi‘s two-day trip to Russia to attend the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan. The group gathered for the first time this year after growing previous year.

Outside the summit, which Russia is hosting from October 22–24, PM Modi will have one-on-one meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and representatives of the other BRICS countries.

This year, Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates joined the club that already included Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (added in 2010).

“The Summit, themed ‘Strengthening Multilateralism for Just Global Development and Security,’ will provide an important platform for leaders to discuss key global issues,” said the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

It said, “The Summit will present a significant chance to evaluate the advancement of BRICS initiatives and to pinpoint possible future areas of cooperation.”

The Second Visit To Russia By PM Modi This Year

Premier Modi will be making his second trip to Russia of the year; he visited Moscow in July for the 22nd India-Russia Annual Summit. PM Modi and Russian President Putin had a private meeting when he was in Russia.

The Russian President sent PM Modi an invitation last month, suggesting a one-on-one meeting on October 22 at the BRICS Summit. Putin spoke to Prime Minister Modi as a “good friend” during the invitation.

The Russian President made these comments at a discussion with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval outside of the gathering of BRICS National Security Advisers. He and Doval had a meeting in St. Petersberg’s Constantine Palace.

2024 BRICS Summit: What’s Scheduled?

India is a founding member of BRICS and is dedicated to economic cooperation within the framework of BRICS, which he highlighted was a “very foundational principle,” Indian Ambassador to Russia Vinay Kumar said on Monday ahead of PM Modi’s visit to Russia.

According to Vinay Kumar, the BRICS Summit, which is scheduled to take place in Kazan, will cover a number of topics, including sustainable development—in particular, PM Modi’s LiFE mission to address climate change—and the expansion of economic cooperation and trade settlement in national currencies.

The Indian ambassador elaborated on PM Modi’s activities in Russia, saying, “Of course, the prime minister’s primary engagement is his participation at the BRICS meeting. Aside from that, he would attend a few bilateral talks outside the summit. President Putin is one of those that is set in stone. Others could also be able to work out.

Comprising of the world’s leading developing economies—which account for 24% of the global GDP, 41% of the world’s population, and more than 16% of global trade—BRICS is a significant alliance.