India's 'critical role' stressed by South Africa's BRICS Sherpa Anil Sooklal ahead of the summit

In the run-up to the 15th BRICS summit hosted by South Africa from August 22nd to 24th, Professor Anil Sooklal, the country's BRICS Sherpa, has highlighted India's "critical role".

Speaking to WION exclusively, he said, "India is a critical country in the success of the summit. And I think the fact that we have Prime Minister Modi coming to the summit signals, just how seriously India takes its membership of BRICS."

South Africa is the host of the year's summit which is the first in-person gathering of BRICS leaders since 2019, with the Sherpa describing the meeting as "historic". No in-person summits occurred between 2020 and 2022 due to the Covid pandemic.

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He explained that the "world has changed dramatically in these last few years", adding that "one of the significant geopolitical shifts is the rise of India as the 5th largest global economy. And I think that's significant, not just for India, I think it's significant for BRICS as well. "

Sooklal's insights extended to India's "pioneering role" within BRICS, particularly in deepening the use of national currencies.

He emphasised that India has been at the forefront of this initiative, enabling financial choices and greater independence for member nations.

He said, "BRICS is focusing heavily on in terms of giving us financial choices and also greater financial independence, not only in terms of our trade interactions but also in terms of setting up our own payment settlement system, which we also want to be discussing and India again, has been one of the leaders in this in the Global South."

"More and more countries, especially BRICS countries like Russia, China and India have been focusing on using national currencies."

Focus on expansion of BRICS

Among the key issues to be addressed at the summit is an expansion of the grouping, a topic that has reverberated globally.

Sooklal underscored the significance, stating, "Having all the BRICS leaders including Prime Minister Modi, to deliberate on this and to see how we deal with the question of expansion, I think that's also really significant."

South Africa has received formal expressions of interest from over 20 countries seeking BRICS membership which are Algeria, Argentina, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Egypt, Ethiopia, Honduras, Indonesia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Nigeria, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Venezuela and Vietnam.

The evolving geopolitical landscape has renewed interest in BRICS as nations in the Global South explore alternatives in a multipolar world.

BRICS 2023 summit: Why PMModi's in-person presence holds significance?

Prime Minister NarendraModi's presence in South Africa at this juncture holds dual significance. Not only does it align with the 30th anniversary of formal diplomatic ties between the two nations, but it also commemorates Mahatma Gandhi's return to India from South Africa.

Sooklal noted the importance, stating, "On a number of fronts, it's an important occasion for India. Not just within BRICS, but also the bilateral relationship between our two countries"

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