Prime Minister Narendra Modi left for Russia's Kazan on Tuesday morning to attend the 16th BRICS Summit, the first meet up since the grouping was expanded to include new members South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates.
While the summit is being held under the chairmanship of Russia, all eyes are on President Vladimir Putin, who will aim to show BRICS as the rising clout of the non-Western world, considering that the group now accounts for 45 per cent of the world's population and 35% of its economy.
#WATCH | PM Narendra Modi leaves from Delhi for Russia to attend the 16th BRICS Summit, being held in Kazan, under the Chairmanship of Russia, themed "Strengthening Multilateralism for Just Global Development and Security,"
— ANI (@ANI) October 22, 2024
The Prime Minister is also expected to hold bilateral… pic.twitter.com/D0If0sYKc2
But, back home, the summit is being keenly watched for whether or not Prime Minister Modi will hold a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, especially in the wake of the breakthrough at LAC which enables Indian and Chinese troops to carry out patrolling the way they used to do before the military standoff between the two sides erupted in May 2020.
Also read: In huge move, India, China resolve eastern Ladakh imbroglio
Though it is expected that he will meet his counterparts from BRICS member countries on the sidelines, neither the PMO nor the Ministry of External Affairs have announced anything regarding a potential Modi-Xi meeting yet.
Indian Ambassador to Russia Vinay Kumar told ANI that Modi's primary focus will be the BRICS summit, though he is scheduled to hold several bilateral meetings with his counterparts, including Russian President Vladimir Putin. "Some other meetings may take place once scheduling issues are resolved," he added.
There is no response from the Chinese side either, with Beijing parrying questions about a possible meeting between Modi and Xi on the sidelines of the BRICS summit. "We will keep you posted if anything comes up," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said while replying to a question at a media briefing. The ministry said Xi will participate in both small-group and large-group meetings, attend the BRICS Plus Dialogue, and deliver key addresses.
But, analysts think a meeting could be possible. Former Indian Ambassador to China Gautam Bambawale believes a meeting could thaw the relations. "Now that the problems on the border along the LAC have been sorted out, I think there is a very high probability that Prime Minister Modi and the President of China, Xi Jinping, could have a bilateral meeting in Kazan. I think it would be a meeting to break the ice. I don't expect some great warmth suddenly," he said, adding that it would be time to rebuild the relationship that soured over the Galwan clashes.
"This situation has gone on for 4.5 years. So it will take some time to repair the relationship but I think this agreement will be a start," Bambawale told ANI.
The last time the leaders had a bilateral meeting was during the BRICS summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, in August 2023. They also had brief interactions on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, in November 2022. Since then, no formal meetings have taken place.
