NEW DELHI: After attending the BRICS Sherpas meeting virtually last week, India will attend the BRICS Summit, to be hosted by China virtually. It is likely to be held towards the end of June. The Summit will be attended by PM Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and the heads of state of Brazil and South Africa.
Although India-China's standoff - over issues concerning the Line of Actual Control - remains a prickly matter, the Summit will be an important one diplomatically, according to experts. Prior to it, India will also attend an in-person Quad Summit on May 24 in Tokyo.
Both Quad and BRICS are diametrically opposite groupings. In Quad the US has positioned itself against China and wants to focus on Indo-Pacific and has also managed to rally support against Russia by the other members (Australia, Japan) barring India. India has maintained that it wants a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
BRICS on the other hand has Russia and China at centre-stage and is seen as a grouping which is against the US. With sanctions imposed on Russia and China being continuously criticised by the US, India will be at odds here too. The issue gets compounded as India and China have not had very cordial relations since the Galwan conflict.
In both the groupings India has so far maintained its own position - which is of neutrality. Close on the heels of the BRICS Summit is the G7 Summit, which is scheduled to take place between June 26th and 28th.
India has yet to receive a formal invite for this, though since the past three G7 meetings it has always been invited. It is a tightrope for India when it comes to diplomacy, however, it has managed well so far having its way without antagonising any grouping.
Meanwhile, during the BRICS Sherpa meet (April 13), discussions were held on various matters, said the Ministry of External Affairs. Those who attended the meeting agreed to further strengthen solidarity and cooperation to address multiple challenges faced globally, including the COVID-19 pandemic and economic recovery.
The meeting was chaired by Ma Zhaoxu, Sherpa for BRICS affairs and vice-foreign minister of China. It was attended by Sherpas of India, Russia, Brazil and South Africa.