Bahrain Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani arrived in New Delhi on Saturday to attend the 18th BRICS Summit being hosted by India. Additional Secretary (Gulf) at the Ministry of External Affairs, Aseem Mahajan, received the visiting minister at the airport in the national capital.
The Ministry of External Affairs welcomed Al Zayani, who is also the current chair of the Gulf Cooperation Council. The ministry said his visit would provide an opportunity to strengthen cooperation between India and the Gulf Cooperation Council, reflecting the broader engagement between India and Gulf countries.
India is hosting the two-day 18th BRICS Summit at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi from Saturday. The summit brings together leaders of BRICS member and partner countries as well as outreach invitees, with India's chairship guided by the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”.
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Earlier in the day, leaders of BRICS member countries participated in a session on Inclusive Global Governance and Strengthening Multilateralism at Bharat Mandapam. Prime Minister Narendra Modi later announced the unanimous adoption of the New Delhi Declaration 2026 and launched two postage stamps commemorating 20 years of BRICS.
In his closing remarks, Modi described the discussions among BRICS leaders as meaningful and constructive and said the changing world order could not be managed through old institutions alone. He stressed the need for greater representation, responsiveness and rule-making, while also emphasising equal participation of the Global South in shaping future technologies and their rules.
BRICS currently comprises Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates, while partner countries include Bahrain's fellow Gulf partners and several other nations. Al Zayani's participation adds a Gulf perspective to the summit's wider discussions on cooperation and multilateralism.
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