Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed Ali Arrives In Delhi To Attend 18th BRICS Summit

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali arrived in New Delhi on Friday to attend the 18th BRICS Summit, which India is hosting as the chair of the grouping in 2026. He was received at the airport by Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth. The summit is scheduled to take place at Bharat Mandapam in the national capital on September 12 and 13.

The Ministry of External Affairs welcomed Abiy Ahmed Ali and highlighted the strategic partnership between India and Ethiopia. The two countries are working together to advance cooperation among BRICS members, with the upcoming summit expected to focus on strengthening coordination within the grouping and addressing shared priorities.

India's BRICS chairship is being guided by the theme, "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability", reflecting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of a people-centric approach based on the principle of "Humanity First". Leaders attending the summit are expected to exchange views on intra-BRICS cooperation as well as global and regional developments of mutual importance.

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BRICS currently comprises Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates. The grouping also has partner countries including Belarus, Cuba, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Vietnam, expanding the platform's engagement across emerging economies.

India-Ethiopia ties have also received attention at the leadership level in recent months. In June, Prime Minister Modi congratulated Abiy and his Prosperity Party on their victory in Ethiopia's parliamentary elections. Abiy thanked Modi for the wishes and said Ethiopia looked forward to building further on the countries' strategic partnership and their longstanding ties.

Prime Minister Modi had visited Ethiopia in December last year during a two-day trip, when he held talks with Abiy Ahmed Ali, addressed a joint session of Parliament and visited the Adwa Museum. During the visit, Modi was conferred Ethiopia's highest civilian honour, the Great Honour Nishan of Ethiopia. Abiy's participation in the BRICS Summit is expected to provide another opportunity for the two countries to strengthen bilateral ties and cooperation within the grouping.

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