A man walks past a board featuring Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sept. 3, 2026, ahead of the upcoming BRICS Summit in New Delhi. (Reuters/Bhawika Chhabra)
As India prepares to host the 18th BRICS Summit next weekend, Indonesia, the bloc’s newest member, has said it stands ready to support the gathering in delivering concrete results amid a fragmented world where politics is taking precedence over cooperation.Initially a grouping of non-Western countries of Brazil, Russia, India and China, the bloc held its inaugural summit in Russia in 2009. It expanded to include South Africa in 2010, which settled the bloc’s name as BRICS. Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates acceded in January 2024.
Indonesia formally joined BRICS as a full member on Jan. 6, 2025. President Prabowo Subianto attended the BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on July 6-7, urging the bloc to revive the Bandung Spirit in the face of global tensions and trade wars.
This year’s BRICS Summit is scheduled for Sept. 12 and 13 in New Delhi.
Bloc for fragmented world
