External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar held a series of diplomatic engagements with foreign ministers from across the globe on the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on Sunday, 13 September 2026, as India wrapped up its tenure as BRICS Chair with a push for concrete, time-bound outcomes.

Bilateral Meetings on the Sidelines

In a notable bilateral session, Jaishankar met Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud to discuss bilateral cooperation as well as regional and global developments. 'Pleased to meet FM Saudi Arabia, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud on the sidelines of BRICS India 2026. Exchanged perspectives on regional and global developments, as well as on advancing our bilateral cooperation,' Jaishankar posted on X.

The meeting with Riyadh is significant given India's deepening energy and investment ties with Saudi Arabia and ongoing conversations around the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) — a connectivity initiative that both nations have stakes in.

Group Engagements: From Beijing to Moscow

Jaishankar also shared a group photograph with visiting counterparts, capturing what he described as both formal and informal interactions. The photograph featured Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, Kazakhstani Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi, Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

'Met many colleagues formally during BRICS India 2026. And as you can see, some more informally,' Jaishankar wrote on X. The photograph, shared publicly, offered a rare candid glimpse into the diplomacy underpinning one of the world's largest multilateral groupings. The Jaishankar–Wang Yi interaction is particularly watched, coming amid ongoing India-China border normalisation efforts following the 2020 Galwan crisis and subsequent disengagement at forward positions.

PM Modi's Closing Remarks and the New Delhi Declaration

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered his concluding remarks at the summit session on 'Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability' at Bharat Mandapam. Modi described BRICS as 'not merely a grouping of nations, but an ecosystem of solutions' and called on member states to translate declarations into 'time-bound actions and last-mile impact.'

'We must translate all outcomes into time-bound actions and last-mile impact. We will work together to ensure that our framework moves beyond mere documentation and creates an impact in real life,' Modi stated. He also extended best wishes to China, the next host of BRICS, and commended all delegations for making the New Delhi Summit a success.

The New Delhi Declaration, adopted at the summit, is intended to provide a framework for future cooperation across the grouping's expanding membership.

India's BRICS Chairship and the Expanded Grouping

India hosted the two-day 18th BRICS Summit at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, bringing together leaders of BRICS member states, partner countries, and outreach invitees. The current BRICS membership comprises Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates. BRICS partner countries include Belarus, Cuba, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.

With BRICS now entering what Modi called its 'third decade', the summit's focus on converting diplomatic commitments into measurable results reflects a broader push to enhance the bloc's credibility amid a fragmented global order. The baton now passes to Beijing for the next edition.