NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the five-nation summit of BRICS on June 23 and 24 following an invitation by Chinese President Xi Jinping, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Tuesday.

       China is hosting the summit in its capacity as its chair of the grouping for the current year.

       The BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) brings together five of the largest developing countries in the world, representing 41 per cent of the global population, 24 percent of the global GDP and 16 percent of the global trade.

       The meeting is significant from Indian perspective as Mr Modi will be sharing the platform with Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese host despite ongoing tensions on the Sino-Indian borders.

       Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa are also set to attend the summit.

       “At the invitation of President Xi Jinping, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be attending the 14th BRICS Summit hosted by China in virtual format on June 23 and 24.

       “This includes a high-level dialogue on global development with guest countries on June 24,” the MEA said in a statement.

       Published in Dawn, June 22nd, 2022