New Delhi [India], September 15 : Hailing the 18th BRICS Summit as a "major success," the Ministry of External Affairs highlighted India’s diplomacy in forging consensus among diverse member nations on critical global issues, while announcing over 50 action-oriented outcomes spanning innovation, trade, and development.
Summarising the achievements of the high-level gathering in New Delhi, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal noted that the adopted New Delhi Declaration reflects a shared commitment among member states to champion the Global South and reform multilateral institutions.
"As you've seen, this summit was a major success. We were able to forge consensus among partners, among all BRICS members, on some of the most contentious issues. BRICS has come out with a declaration which has several outcomes—over 50 outcomes are there. There is an agreement, and all member countries in their national statements spoke about reforming global governance, spoke about strengthening multilateralism, and talked about giving more weight, more voice to the aspirations of the Global South," the spokesperson stated during a press breifing. 
Underscoring India’s diplomatic reach, the spokesperson highlighted the wide international participation at the summit, which brought together leaders from across the globe.
"There was very strong language on terrorism; the joint statement has unequivocally condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. Overall, at the summit, we had participation of 32 delegations, which included 11 member states, 10 partner countries, 4 regional organisations, and 7 international organisations. That itself shows the kind of robust participation we had, and several delegations were led at the level of Head of State and Head of Government," Jaiswal said.
Reflecting on New Delhi’s role as the host, the spokesperson added that the Summit yielded a "successful outcome" as India managed to bring different countries together and help pave the way forward for further opportunities. 
"So we are very satisfied. It was a successful outcome. We were able to bring countries with differing positions together—that is our convening strength, the convening strength of India today and how India is seen in the world at large. Beyond that, there are development-focused, practical, action-oriented outcomes, and we will all come together to take them forward to create more opportunities for our youth, our people, and our women," he said. 
Addressing questions regarding the execution of the initiatives detailed in the declaration, ranging from startup networks to innovation centres, the spokesperson explained that member nations will move into specialised working groups to operationalise the agreement.
"The declaration contains several issues on which BRICS members have come together. It talks about political issues, international issues, trade, investment, innovation, and startups. Now it is for the BRICS countries to come together and see how they can implement these understandings. You would see that a lot of development-focused initiatives have been undertaken, and these will create more opportunities for people in BRICS countries," the spokesperson remarked.
"Among the BRICS countries, there are ways of taking forward the collaborative exercises that have been agreed to. As you would have seen in the factsheet that was generated, there are over 50 outcomes. Now both sides will sit down together in working group formats and other formats and see how best they can push the agreed points and collaborate further," he noted.
Regarding the involvement of non-member partner countries in these newly announced frameworks, the MEA clarified that the current declaration remains centred on full BRICS members, as the bloc prioritises internal consolidation following its recent expansion.
"On the question of partner countries, whether partner countries are also involved: At this point, this declaration has been adopted by the countries who are members of BRICS," the spokesperson said.
"I think right now the BRICS takes decisions based on consensus. Just a few years ago, we had an expansion of BRICS. Right now, all the member countries are focused on the consolidation of BRICS. At some point in time, other issues regarding partner countries will come up, where the BRICS countries will take a decision as to how to take things forward. But in this particular edition of the BRICS Summit, that is the 18th BRICS Summit, this particular subject did not come up," the spokesperson concluded.
From Russia and China to Iran and Africa, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s diplomatic calendar remained packed on the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Summit, with PM Modi holding 15 sit-down bilateral meetings with Heads of State and Heads of Government over the last three days.
The meetings, held alongside the BRICS Summit in New Delhi, have been in addition to pull-aside interactions with various world leaders and leaders of international institutions, giving a broad sweep to India’s diplomatic engagement during its BRICS chairship.
Among the most significant engagements were PM Modi’s meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, with discussions covering bilateral ties, regional conflicts, multilateral cooperation, border peace, maritime security and the priorities of the Global South.
The meetings came alongside the adoption of the New Delhi Declaration, which expressed deep concern over the continued escalation of tensions in West Asia and called for maximum restraint and avoidance of actions that could further aggravate the situation.
The declaration called for the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, and greater efforts through dialogue and diplomacy towards lasting peace, security and stability in the region.
It also stressed the need to maintain the smooth flow of global trade, supply chains and energy in accordance with international law.