External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday said the successful conclusion of the BRICS India Summit 2026 demonstrated India’s strong convening power under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and showed that consensus could be achieved despite deep geopolitical divisions.
Addressing the media after the summit, Jaishankar said 32 delegations participated in the meeting, including representatives from 11 BRICS member states, 10 partner countries, four regional organisations and seven international organisations.
He highlighted the participation of several heads of state and government, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
“The first point to note is really the strong convening power of Modi’s India,” Jaishankar said, noting that most participating countries were represented at the highest level. He also highlighted the presence of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and leaders of other international organisations, saying the summit enabled “very open and comfortable conversations”.
Jaishankar said the summit took place amid a “very polarised world” marked by conflicts and competing positions, but BRICS countries were able to arrive at common positions on several difficult issues, particularly the West Asia conflict.
He said the leaders stressed the importance of peace, security and stability, while also calling for long-term understanding, uninterrupted global trade and supply chains, energy security and protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure.
The EAM said the summit’s discussions centred on the economy, development and technology, while placing a strong emphasis on the interests of the Global South. He described the two key sessions on reform and resilience as “uniting themes” that helped bridge differences among participating countries.
Jaishankar also pointed to the consensus on terrorism, saying BRICS reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations was unacceptable. He noted that the New Delhi Declaration strongly condemned the April 22, 2025 Pahalgam terror attack and called for “zero tolerance” towards terrorism and an end to double standards in countering the menace.
He said the declaration also condemned cross-border terrorism and called for accountability of those involved in terrorist activities as well as their supporters.
Concluding, Jaishankar said the summit reflected India’s emphasis on dialogue, diplomacy and development under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership.
“Many people said it won’t happen. It did happen. It did happen. It happened in New Delhi, and it happened under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership,” he said.
