India is working to bridge differences among BRICS members as the expanded grouping prepares for its 18th Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi, with negotiations continuing on a joint declaration expected to reflect consensus among members.
Randhir Jaiswal, Additional Secretary and spokesperson for India’s Ministry of External Affairs, disclosed this while speaking at a dinner organised for journalists and content creators in New Delhi ahead of the summit.
Jaiswal said India regarded all BRICS members as partners and was committed to bringing the expanded bloc together despite differences on a range of geopolitical and economic issues.
“India is friends with all BRICS member countries. As friends, it is our intention to bring all our partners together,” he said.
On whether New Delhi had undertaken specific initiatives to resolve disagreements within the bloc, Jaiswal pointed to the ongoing negotiations over the summit’s joint declaration.
“You will have to wait for the joint statement. The joint statement is being negotiated and there you will see how India brings everybody together,” he said.
He explained that negotiations were being conducted collectively with all BRICS members but declined to disclose the countries involved in particular disputes.
India will host the summit on September 12 and 13, 2026, as BRICS adjusts to its expanded membership of 11 countries and an increasingly complex geopolitical environment.
Under its 2026 chairmanship, India has placed emphasis on resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability, while seeking to advance development priorities and strengthen the voice of the Global South.
The country has also promoted an economic agenda centred on the proposed BRICS Economic Partnership 2030, increased trade in services, resilient supply chains and improved access to finance for small and medium-sized enterprises.
However, the bloc's expansion has also brought together countries with competing strategic and regional interests, making consensus on politically sensitive matters more difficult.
Tensions between Iran and the United Arab Emirates are among the challenges facing the grouping. At the BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting in New Delhi in May, the UAE rejected Iranian allegations and reaffirmed its sovereignty and right to safeguard its national security.
India and China also continue to manage longstanding strategic differences despite efforts to stabilise bilateral relations following their 2020 border clashes. Disagreements over security, technology and market access remain areas of concern.
Another significant issue involves Egypt and Ethiopia, whose differences over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and Nile waters remain unresolved.
The issue received renewed attention following Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Egypt on September 1-2. In a joint communiqué, China acknowledged Egypt’s legitimate right to protect its water, food and development interests, while both countries called on Nile Basin states to comply with international law and obligations to prevent harm.
Although the communiqué did not explicitly endorse Egypt’s position against Ethiopia, its reference to Nile-related concerns adds another layer to the diplomatic dynamics within BRICS, where China, Egypt and Ethiopia are all members.
Economic differences also remain, particularly over the pace and direction of efforts to increase the use of national currencies and develop alternatives to existing international financial mechanisms.
Against this backdrop, India’s ability to secure broad agreement on the summit declaration could prove important in demonstrating the expanded BRICS bloc’s capacity to maintain unity while accommodating divergent national interests.