BRICS Summit 2026: Brazil, South Africa, Ethiopia, Burundi Delegations Arrive In Delhi

New Delhi: Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira has arrived in New Delhi to attend the 18th BRICS summit, scheduled to be held this weekend in Bharat Mandapam under India's chairship.  

The Ministry of External Affairs announced Vieira's arrival, who represents Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at the summit, as the latter remains in Brazil for his election campaign. 

In a post on X, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal extended a welcome to the Brazilian leadership while highlighting the friendly bilateral ties between India and Brazil.  

"Warm welcome to Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Mauro Vieira of Brazil as he arrives to attend the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi. India and Brazil share a longstanding friendship and a strong commitment to advancing cooperation across the Global South," he wrote.  

Earlier in the day, South Africa's Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, arrived in the national capital ahead of the 18th BRICS Summit, with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa also set to attend the two-day leaders' meeting at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

Additionally, the Foreign Ministers of Ethiopia and Burundi landed in New Delhi on Thursday. Edouard Bizimana, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Burundi, and Gedion Timothewos, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, arrived in the national capital this morning.  

New Delhi will host the BRICS Summit for the fourth time. 

India’s Chairship of the 18th BRICS Summit is guided by the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”, deploying a human-centric approach across its core pillars to reinforce institutional strength and support sustainable growth. 

The upcoming New Delhi summit follows the 17th BRICS Summit held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on July 6-7, 2025, under Brazil’s chairship, which focused on Global South cooperation, inclusive governance, global health, climate action, artificial intelligence governance, trade, and financial mechanism efficiency during the first high-level assembly of the broadened grouping. 

For India, the 2026 chairship marks its fourth tenure heading BRICS, following previous terms in 2012, 2016, and 2021. India last held the chair in 2021, hosting the 13th BRICS Summit virtually on September 9 under the theme BRICS@15: Intra-BRICS Cooperation for Continuity, Consolidation and Consensus. 

During the 2021 chairship, New Delhi organised over 150 ministerial and sector-specific events focused on reforming the multilateral system, strengthening counter-terrorism cooperation, deploying digital tools for the Sustainable Development Goals, and enhancing people-to-people exchanges. These priorities were enshrined in the New Delhi Declaration adopted at the 13th summit. 

Carrying forward this legacy, India's 2026 presidency bridges established reform goals with expanded priorities, placing resilience, innovation, and sustainability at the heart of the bloc's collective agenda as leaders convene in New Delhi to assess the group's evolving global role and chart the path forward.