Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrived in New Delhi on Friday to attend the 18th BRICS Summit and is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi later in the day.
Ahead of his departure from Tehran, Pezeshkian underlined the importance of the BRICS platform and said the grouping could play a role in countering unilateralism and reducing dependence on dominant global financial systems.
“The goal of BRICS is to confront unilateralism, and the slogan of the current summit is also within this framework, and we hope to get closer to this goal day by day. Of course, we know that economic issues are complex and we need new approaches to reduce totalitarianism and unilateralism in the world,” the Iranian President said.
According to Iran’s state news agency ISNA, Pezeshkian said the summit would focus on economic, financial, industrial and trade issues.
“Independence, solidarity, sustainability, resistance, and innovation are the slogans of the summit, and economic, financial, industrial, and trade issues will be discussed at this summit,” he said.
Pezeshkian also highlighted the financial mechanisms being discussed within the BRICS framework and said greater use of alternatives to the US dollar could facilitate economic interactions among member countries.
“A special bank has been formed within the BRICS framework, and we are going to see investment from countries so that interactions between countries and members can be carried out without dependence on the dollar, thus reducing America’s totalitarianism with the dollar,” he said.
Pezeshkian said Iran and India share longstanding ties and have scope to expand areas of common interest.
“Our presence at this summit is a good opportunity to meet and discuss with various officials, including those from China, Russia, Brazil, India, and other countries,” he said.
During their earlier meeting in Bishkek, Prime Minister Modi reiterated India’s support for efforts aimed at achieving long-term peace and stability in the region.
PM Modi had also reaffirmed India’s readiness to cooperate closely with Iran in multilateral forums, including BRICS and the SCO, and underlined New Delhi’s resolve to “expand and diversify” bilateral trade channels with Tehran.
The Iranian President’s visit comes as India hosts the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on September 12 and 13 under its 2026 BRICS Chairship.
India’s chairship is guided by the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”, with development, sustainability and innovation among the key areas of focus.
-ANI
