"Coming of age of BRICS": PM Modi calls for tangible outcomes under India's chairship

As BRICS completed its 20 years, PM Modi said that called for a moment of coming of age, calling for maturity and responsibility.

Addressing the BRICS Summit 2026 under Indias chairship, PM Modi expressed gratitude towards the group for their support.

He said, I am delighted to welcome you all to India. Indias chairship is based on a people-centric and humanity-first approach. Resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability have been our priority. Special emphasis has been placed on connecting BRICS with the general public. With this vision in mind, over 350 meetings were organised. We had the opportunity to welcome your teams in nearly 30 cities. I express my heartfelt gratitude to all of you for making India's presidency a success. This year's BRICS summit marks a historic milestone. We are celebrating the 20th anniversary of BRICS. In human life, the age of twenty heralds the beginning of a new phase of maturity and responsibility.

This is the stage where responsibility aligns with aspirations, and potential finds a new direction. Today, BRICS, too, is at a moment of coming of age. Over the past two decades, BRICS has carved out a distinct identity for itself. We respect each other's perspectives and move forward through consensus. Our approach is not one of opposition to anyone, but rather of taking everyone along. Now is the time for us to translate the unity and consensus within BRICS into tangible outcomes on the global stage, the Prime Minister added.

Prime Minister Modi called on BRICS nations to chart out a new and ambitious agenda for the next 20 years and set the course for global reform

"We need to work on a new and ambitious agenda for the next 20 years. We must begin this process with our own internal working systems. While the BRICS presidency rotates annually, this should not disrupt our institutional momentum. I propose the establishment of a BRICS continuity and implementation mechanism. This would enable the follow-up of all initiatives and outcomes through the 'Troika' arrangement. We could also create a secure digital repository to record the nodal point, timeframe, and implementation status associated with every decision," he said

"While strengthening BRICS, we must also chart a course for global reform. The current structure of global governance resembles a pyramid: power and decision-making are concentrated at the top, while the lower tiers consist of nations that are affected by these decisions yet unable to shape them," he added.

Meanwhile, in a major diplomatic breakthrough a joint statement will be issued by the BRICS nations during the summit today.BRICS countries have reached consensus on a Joint Statement after intensive negotiations that continued until 4 AM on Saturday.

The negotiations saw differences on several contentious issues. India led sustained consultations to bridge competing positions and build consensus among members.

The breakthrough assumes particular significance given that Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE are all part of the same forum, despite deep differences and competing positions on several regional and geopolitical issues.

Against the backdrop of ongoing conflicts and heightened tensions in West Asia, securing consensus among countries such as Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE presented a particularly complex diplomatic challenge. Indias diplomatic prowess ensured that these differences did not derail the BRICS process, paving the way for a consensus Joint Statement despite sharply divergent geopolitical positions among member countries. (ANI)