External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday hailed the successful conclusion of the BRICS India Summit 2026, saying the gathering demonstrated the "strong convening power" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s India and showed that consensus could be forged despite deep global polarisation and conflicts.
Addressing the media, Jaishankar said 32 delegations participated in the summit, including representatives from 11 member states, 10 partner countries, four regional organisations and seven international organisations. Most participating countries were represented at the highest level, he said.
The summit was attended by 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 delegations were represented at the head-of-state or head-of-government level. He also highlighted the participation of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and heads of other international organisations, saying the summit enabled leaders to engage in “very open and comfortable conversations".
'India succeeded in bringing consensus'
Jaishankar said the summit was held against the backdrop of a "very polarised world", with two major conflicts, deep divisions and competing interests. Despite these challenges, he said India succeeded in building consensus among the participating countries.
"What we did was, even in the midst of this polarisation, we actually forged a consensus,” he said, particularly referring to the West Asia conflict, which he described as one of the toughest issues confronting the summit.
He said BRICS leaders agreed on the need for peace, security, stability and long-term understanding, while also calling for the smooth flow of global trade, supply chains and energy and the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure.
“Look at what was definitely the toughest issue of the day, which was the West Asia conflict, we were able to issue a statement to which everybody agreed,” Jaishankar said, adding that the statement urged “peace, security, stability and long-term understanding”.
The External Affairs Minister said the summit's agenda remained centred on the economy, development and technology, with a strong focus on the interests of the Global South.
“The agenda was focused on the economy, on development, on technology, for the Global South, standing up for the Global South. That was a very strong message which came out," he said.
Jaishankar said the summit's successful conclusion reflected India's ability to bring countries together amid heightened international tensions and demonstrated the country's growing role in shaping discussions on global economic development, technology, and the concerns of the Global South.
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