Page 24 - NIS English 1-15 Oct, 2026

COVER STORY | BRICS 2026

Mustafa led to an agreement to further strengthen the
India-Nigeria strategic partnership in key areas including
trade, energy, agriculture, and digital technology. The Global South stands at the
In a meeting with South African President Cyril Rama- forefront of facing global crises yet
phosa, Prime Minister Modi highlighted the successful lags in decision-making processes.
relocation of cheetahs from South Africa to India and
invited the nation to join the International Big Cat Al- We must transform the “pyramid
liance. During talks with the Chairperson of the African of privilege” into a “platform of
Union and President of Burundi, Évariste Ndayishimiye, partnership.”
the leaders discussed hosting the fourth India-Africa
Forum Summit, and the Prime Minister commended the Narendra Modi, Prime Minister
African Union’s leadership in tackling the Ebola outbreak.
A common thread ran through all these meetings:
India’s call to strongly amplify the voice of the Global THE ECHO OF ‘NAMASTE’: THE BRICS
South and to work together towards a multipolar, inclu- FAMILY UNITED BY CULTURE
sive international order. This was the thread that con- During its presidency, India accorded as much impor-
nected the summit’s formal sessions with the warmth of tance to cultural exchange as it did to economic and
bilateral diplomacy. political issues. The ‘Bhopal Declaration,’ adopted at the
Following these bilateral meetings, many leaders 11th BRICS Culture Ministers’ Meeting held in Bhopal,
commended India’s hosting of the event. South African saw consensus on initiatives such as the preservation of
President Cyril Ramaphosa expressed his gratitude to cultural heritage, cooperation between museums and
Prime Minister Modi for the warm hospitality and the archives, and the creation of a shared registry for artists.
successful organization of the summit. In the New Delhi Additionally, the organization of the BRICS Cultural Fes-
Declaration, all member nations collectively appreciated tival, Theatre Festival, and Film Festival provided a plat-
India’s presidency and expressed their gratitude to the form to showcase the cultural diversity of the member
Government of India and the Indian people for the suc- nations. To commemorate twenty years of BRICS coop-
cessful hosting of the 18th summit in New Delhi. eration, two commemorative postage stamps—titled

22 NEW INDIA SAMACHAR || Oct 1-15, 2026