Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira has arrived in New Delhi to participate in the 18th BRICS Summit, which will be held this weekend at Bharat Mandapam under India’s chairship.

His presence comes as he represents Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who remains in Brazil due to his ongoing election campaign.

The Ministry of External Affairs confirmed Vieira’s arrival and extended a warm welcome, emphasising the strong bilateral ties between India and Brazil. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, in a post on X, highlighted the enduring friendship between the two nations and their shared commitment to advancing cooperation across the Global South.

Earlier in the day, South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, also reached New Delhi ahead of the summit. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is scheduled to attend the two-day leaders’ meeting at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

In addition, the Foreign Ministers of Ethiopia and Burundi arrived in the Indian capital on Thursday. Edouard Bizimana of Burundi and Gedion Timothewos of Ethiopia landed in New Delhi in the morning, further strengthening the diverse representation at the summit.

This marks the fourth time New Delhi will host the BRICS Summit, underscoring India’s growing role in shaping the bloc’s agenda. India’s chairship of the 18th BRICS Summit is guided by the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”, which reflects a human-centric approach across the organisation’s core pillars. The focus is on reinforcing institutional strength and supporting sustainable growth.

The upcoming summit follows the 17th BRICS Summit held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on July 6-7, 2025, under Brazil’s chairship. That meeting concentrated on Global South cooperation, inclusive governance, global health, climate action, artificial intelligence governance, trade, and financial mechanism efficiency. It was also the first high-level assembly of the expanded grouping.

For India, the 2026 chairship marks its fourth tenure leading BRICS, following earlier terms in 2012, 2016, and 2021. India last chaired the bloc in 2021, hosting the 13th BRICS Summit virtually on September 9 under the theme “BRICS@15: Intra-BRICS Cooperation for Continuity, Consolidation and Consensus.”

During the 2021 chairship, New Delhi organised over 150 ministerial and sector-specific events. These focused on reforming the multilateral system, strengthening counter-terrorism cooperation, deploying digital tools for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, and enhancing people-to-people exchanges. The New Delhi Declaration adopted at the 13th summit enshrined these priorities.

India’s 2026 presidency builds on this legacy by bridging established reform goals with expanded priorities. Resilience, innovation, and sustainability are placed at the heart of the bloc’s collective agenda as leaders gather in New Delhi to assess BRICS’ evolving global role and chart its future trajectory.

ANI