New Delhi: The 18th BRICS Summit officially kicks off today in the national capital, Delhi, an event that could prove highly significant for India from both diplomatic and trade perspectives. On this opening day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to hold bilateral meetings with leaders from several nations; all eyes are fixed on these engagements. The most crucial meeting will be with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Scheduled for 5:45 PM at Bharat Mandapam, this meeting will bring together two of the world’s most powerful leaders.
The Chinese President has already departed for India. Prime Minister Modi has already met with several leaders, including Russian President Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, on Friday. There is considerable buzz surrounding the meeting with the Chinese President, as this marks the first time Xi Jinping will meet Indian leadership in India since tensions escalated along the Line of Actual Control.
Here is the schedule for the first day
The first day of the BRICS Summit is set to be pivotal for India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to meet Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed at Hyderabad House at 10:00 AM. Following this, at 10:30 AM, the Prime Minister will hold a meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, an engagement considered highly significant.
At 11:00 AM on Saturday, he will meet with the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Subsequently, at 11:30 AM, the Prime Minister is scheduled to meet Vietnamese leader Le Minh Hung. At the same time, a meeting between Indian President Droupadi Murmu and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is scheduled at Rashtrapati Bhavan. As part of the main summit proceedings, leaders of the BRICS member nations will arrive at Level 2 of Bharat Mandapam at 2:00 PM.
At 2:35 PM, a closed session themed “Inclusive Global Governance and Strengthening Multilateralism” will be held in the summit hall. Later, at 4:25 PM, the leaders will tour the ‘Bharat Innovates Exhibition’ in Hall 14 of Bharat Mandapam. A family photo session is scheduled to take place on the lawn outside Bharat Mandapam at 5:05 PM.
A joint tree-planting ceremony is set for 5:10 PM. At 5:45 PM, a bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping will be held at Bharat Mandapam. A gala dinner, hosted by the Prime Minister, is scheduled for 7:30 PM on Level 3 of Bharat Mandapam.
Will the summit be affected by the weather?
It is worth noting that heavy rain alerts have been issued for several states coinciding with the BRICS summit. In the Delhi-NCR region, specifically Noida, Ghaziabad, and Gurugram,m there is a forecast of heavy rain accompanied by strong winds and thunderstorms over the next two days.
