'Prioritise national interest': Shashi Tharoor advises govt to keep Brics 'non-West'

NEW DELHI: Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Friday cautioned that the Brics summit hosted by India should not appear to be an anti-West platform, as that would not be in sync with the country’s national interests.Tharoor, who served as a diplomat at the United Nations for decades, advised the government to showcase the concerns of the Global South while keeping India’s direct national interests in mind." As chair, we have a particular responsibility to showcase both the Brics as a forum, the concerns of the Global South in general, but also while bearing very, very carefully in mind our direct national interests.

We want Brics to be a forum that is non-West, but not anti-West. That is exactly actually the same agenda as every other country. There are some others in Brics who are very happy to take it as a geopolitical non-Western, but also anti-Western platform," Tharoor told news agency PTI.He also said that PM Modi's scheduled meeting with Chinese president Xi Jinping and the meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin "are going to grab world headlines"."

And I would like to say that that would not be in India's national interest... Because all these world leaders are in India, there will be significant bilateral conversations. Our Prime Minister is bound to be meeting each of the visiting heads of state and government who seeks a meeting. And that may mean a dozen important meetings with these country leaders. And for us, of course, both the meeting with President Xi and the meeting with President Putin are going to grab world headlines," the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha MP said.Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said leaders from across the world would gather in New Delhi over the next few days for the Brics summit, expressing confidence that the high-level meeting would see positive and meaningful discussions on various issues with the welfare of the world in mind.“

Over the next few days, leaders from around the world will gather for the Brics Summit. I am confident that the Summit will see positive and meaningful discussions on various issues with the welfare of the world in mind,” Modi said in a post on X in Hindi.The Prime Minister also shared a Sanskrit shlok highlighting the importance of cultivating relationships with virtuous people and promoting dialogue and goodwill.“ A person should always live among the virtuous and cultivate their company.

A person should engage in discussion and foster friendly relations with the virtuous, because mutual goodwill, dialogue and friendly relations strengthen peace and cooperation,” the verse said in a loose translation.As Brics chair in 2026, India will host the 18th Brics summit in New Delhi on September 12 and 13. The summit will bring together leaders of Brics member and partner countries, as well as outreach invitees.During the summit, leaders are expected to discuss ways to strengthen intra-Brics cooperation on common priorities and exchange views on global and regional issues of mutual importance, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs.Earlier on Thursday night, Bharat Mandapam, the venue for the summit in New Delhi, was being readied to host the high-profile gathering, with leaders and representatives from across the world expected to arrive for the September 12-13 event.Get the latest India News and Live updates.

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