Bahrain Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani arrived in New Delhi on Saturday, 12 September 2026, to attend the 18th BRICS Summit at the Bharat Mandapam. Aseem Mahajan, Additional Secretary (Gulf) at the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), received the visiting minister at the airport. Al Zayani, who also serves as the current chair of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), is expected to hold discussions aimed at deepening India-GCC cooperation on the summit's sidelines.

MEA highlights India-GCC ties

The MEA, in a post on X, extended a 'warm welcome' to the Bahraini foreign minister and noted that the visit would 'give boost to India-GCC cooperation.' The arrival underscores the growing strategic engagement between India and Gulf nations, particularly as Bahrain holds the rotating GCC chairmanship this year.

India's BRICS Chairship and the summit theme

India is hosting the two-day 18th BRICS Summit at the Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi from Saturday. The chairship is guided by the theme 'Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability,' reflecting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of a people-centric approach rooted in the spirit of 'Humanity First.' The summit has brought together leaders and senior representatives from all 11 BRICS member states — Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates — along with 10 partner countries and outreach invitees.

New Delhi Declaration 2026 adopted

In a significant outcome on the summit's opening day, PM Modi announced the unanimous adoption of the New Delhi Declaration 2026 and launched two commemorative postage stamps marking 20 years of BRICS. In his closing remarks at the session on 'Inclusive Global Governance and Strengthening Multilateralism,' Modi stated, 'The New Delhi Declaration adopted today gives clear direction to our shared resolve. Now it is our responsibility to convert these resolutions into concrete results.'

The Prime Minister described the deliberations as 'meaningful and constructive,' stressing that the changing global order demands institutional reform. 'It is clear from today's discussion that the changing world cannot be managed by old institutions. Improvement is required in all three – representation, responsiveness and rule making,' he said, adding that the Global South must have 'equal participation in the making of future technology and their rules.'

World leaders join tree plantation initiative

Several heads of state and government joined PM Modi for a tree plantation initiative in the capital. Among them were Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali, and Brazil Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira.

What lies ahead

The summit's second day is expected to feature further sessions on multilateral cooperation, sustainable development, and technology governance. The New Delhi Declaration is likely to serve as the blueprint for BRICS priorities through 2027, and bilateral meetings on the sidelines — including India-Bahrain and India-GCC engagements — could yield concrete announcements. With India steering the bloc during a period of geopolitical flux, the summit's outcomes will be closely watched across both the Global South and established multilateral institutions.