Kazan [Russia], October 22 : Former High Commissioner of India to Pakistan Ajay Bisaria emphasized the importance of establishing clear criteria for future expansion of BRICS, following the bloc's recent admission of five new members.
Speaking ahead of the 16th BRICS Summit in Russia's Kazan, Bisaria noted that while the group has doubled its membership, there are currently more than thirty applicants seeking to join.
"I think BRICS has expanded. It has doubled its membership--there are five new members already, and I think the other members joining in will be after a while. I believe there are more than thirty applicants, but there should be a process of keeping them as partners before they are taken as full members," Bisaria told ANI.
Bisaria further highlighted the significance of this summit for India, particularly regarding recent positive developments on the India-China border issue.
"This is a very important meeting from India's point of view because first, it's in Russia, and secondly, on the China front, there has been a very important development--the serious border situation that we had in play for four years; there are signs that we manage to go back to the status quo of 2020 in terms of patrolling rights, de-escalation, and disengagement," he explained.
He added that this progress is expected to be formalized during bilateral talks between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The 16th BRICS Summit is being held under Russia's chairmanship.
The summit, themed "Strengthening Multilateralism for Just Global Development and Security," emphasises the collaborative role of BRICS nations--Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa--on critical global issues.
BRICS, initially known as BRIC, began as a formal grouping following a meeting of leaders from Russia, India, and China in 2006 on the margins of the G8 Outreach Summit. The first BRICS Summit took place in Russia's Yekaterinburg in 2009, establishing the bloc's importance on the global stage.
As the BRICS Summit continues, further discussions on the future of the grouping's expansion and cooperation are expected to unfold.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Russian President Vladimir Putin for a bilateral meeting. Putin welcomed PM Modi with greetings and a warm hug.
This visit marks PM Modi's second trip to Russia this year, having previously visited in July to attend the 22nd India-Russia Annual Summit.
During that trip, Modi held bilateral talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and was conferred Russia's highest civilian award, the Order of St. Andrew the Apostle, at the Kremlin in Moscow.