The leaders of the BRICS countries are gathering this weekend in Delhi for a summit that will be held against the backdrop of wars in Ukraine and the Middle East and ongoing tensions between the United States and China, the Associated Press reported, BTA reported.
These conflicts are testing the expanded format's ability to forge common positions on key international issues.
Among the expected participants are Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian. As host, India will seek to balance its relations with Russia and China with its increasingly close strategic partnership with the United States and other Western countries, the AP notes.
BRICS brings together 11 countries that represent roughly half the world's population and a significant share of the global economy and energy resources. The expansion has increased the international weight of the format, but at the same time highlighted the serious differences between its members, whose political, economic and strategic interests often diverge.
The war in Ukraine and the conflict over Iran are emerging as some of the main tests of BRICS unity. Russia and Iran are part of the grouping, China maintains close relations with both countries, while India seeks to maintain its ties with Moscow, Tehran, Washington and Europe at the same time.
The meeting is also of particular importance for relations between India and China. Xi Jinping's visit to Delhi will be his first in seven years and could consolidate the diplomatic thaw that has begun between the two Asian powers after a serious escalation of border tensions in 2020.
Among the important topics will be the BRICS countries' desire to reduce their dependence on the US dollar. The wider use of national currencies in bilateral trade and payment mechanisms that would limit dependence on Western financial infrastructure are being discussed.
The main question before the Delhi meeting, however, is to what extent the expanded BRICS can translate its growing economic and demographic weight into real political influence. The member countries share a desire for a greater role for developing countries in the world order, but remain divided on a number of key geopolitical issues.